Running Away
by Basil-Ovelby
Summary: Takes place after the 2nd OVA, so may contain some spoilers for OVA 3. Tasuki and Chichiri have always traveled around together, but suddenly their relationship gets deeper, and neither of them know what to do about it. Tasuki x Chichiri
1. Chapter 1

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Running Away

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-Chapter 1-

Chichiri grimaced as he heard Tasuki yell once again at the group of men he was sitting with. He picked up the glass of water that had just been set in front of him at the bar and took a sip, listening to the heated conversation continue.

"I won it fair and square, now hand it over!!"

He heard a loud clunk on the table that could be no one else besides Tasuki slamming his fist down on it. Chichiri sighed, things had been this way for a while now.

A clattering of money being poured on the table then commenced, and Tasuki squealed happily. "Yay!!"

Chichiri had to admit that they were running dangerously low on money, but this was definitely not the right way to handle it. Besides, Tasuki usually ended up getting them into worse trouble than they already were.

"Chi-san, Chi-san!!" There was a rush of footsteps as Tasuki came running over to him. "Look at all the money I made us!"

Chichiri watched as Tasuki poured all the money down on the counter, being careful not to let any of the coins fall off.

"See, see! I almost tripled everything we had!"

Chichiri looked wearily down at the pile of coins. "Good job, Tasuki-kun, no da."

Tasuki noticed the look on Chichiri's face. "What is it, Chi-san? Somethin' troublin' ya'?"

Chichiri looked up hurridly, not knowing it had been that obvious what he was feeling. "No. nothing is, no da. It's just." Chichiri picked up one of the coins and began fingering it in his hands. "I-!"

"Nani?"

"Tasuki-kun." Chichiri looked closely at the coin that he held in his hand. There was something. not right about it. "Tasuki-kun, these coins are fake, no da!"

Tasuki face-vaulted. "Let me see!" He grabbed the coin out of Chichiri's hands and held it up close to his eyes. "Hmm. it doesn't look wrong to me."

Tasuki opened his mouth and bit down hard on the coin. He was very surprised when it broke, one half falling to the ground and the other half inside of his mouth.

"Yah!" he spit the coin out. "What the hell izzat?"

"A fake coin, na no da."

Tasuki turned beet red. He slowly turned around, facing the men that had given them the coins. The men finally noticed that the man they had given the money to had figured out it wasn't real.

"Eh, boss?"

"What the hell'd want?"

"Turn around."

The boss turned around, coming face to face with a large tessen right in his face. "What the-!"

"You gonna' give me my money back or what?" Tasuki growled.

All the men stood up, ready to face this new threat. "You're gonna' hafta take it from us." They took out clubs and swords from under the table where they had kept them, holding them up in a way that could frighten even a grown man.

Tasuki didn't give them time to attack first. "Rekka shinen!!" A bright burst of flames erupted from him tessen and engulfed the group of men. Unfortunately, this particular inn happened to be made of wood, and wood, well, burns.

"Ahhhh!!" Tasuki screamed as the flame began to spread across the floor. The bar-tender started running around, trying to put out the fire with bottles of alcohol from behind the bar.

Chichiri watched all this with a slight grin on his face. Yeah, he should have told Tasuki not to use that, but.

"What is going on here?" The inn-keeper tromped into the room. He was a big man, a large black beard grew on his face. He wore a large cloak that did not suit an inn-keeper.

The bar-tender timidly pointed into the raging flames at the man who's hair matched the flames themselves. "It was him, it was him!"

The inn-keeper stepped forward, brushing off the flames as if they were nothing more than leaves on a bush.

Chichiri decided that it was time he stepped in. He jumped through the flames, grabbing hold of Tasuki's shoulder. "It think it's time we get going, no da."

There was a bright flash of light and then the two men were gone. The inn- keeper looked around, trying to find where they had disappeared to, but it was no use. They were just. gone!

Chichiri peered out from among the leaves, looking into the window to see if the flames had died down yet. They seemed to be getting them under control, though, so it wasn't a problem.

"That wasn't a very good idea, Tasuki-kun, no da."

"Yeah, well, what was I supposed to do? There were tons of them, you saw!"

"Maybe if you had told someone about it, they would have done something, no da."

"What's the fun in that?"

Chichiri looked around at their surroundings. They were in the forest just outside the inn. It wasn't too cold outside, but there was a bit of a chilly wind that wound through the trees.

"We might as well sleep out here, no da. Now that we don't have a room anymore."

"Out here! Let's just find another inn!!"

"Tasuki!"

Tasuki was pouting. He turned his lower lip up in a pout that he hoped would soften the older man.

"No."

"Come on!!"

"Go get some wood so we can make a fire, no da."

Tasuki grumbled something out, but reluctantly headed out deeper into the forest to get some wood. Chichiri started to make a little clearing so that they would have a place to sleep.

He took the bag off his back and started rummaging through the contents. Sighing, he held up the single blanket that they always kept. They didn't sleep outside a lot, so they rarely needed it.

Luckily, they had some food, so they wouldn't have to worry about getting stuff in the morning.

He heard a rustle behind him and Tasuki wobbled in, carrying a huge stack of sticks with him.

"Where. where do you want me to put them?"

Chichiri gestured with his finger to a point in the middle of the clearing he had made. "Asoko, no da."

He heard a huge thump as Tasuki dropped the sticks, and then the usual "rekka shinen" as he lighted them on fire. Soon, they had a good sized fire going.

The two of them huddled around the fire, relishing in the little warmth that it was putting off. The flames danced in front of them, putting off little shadows on the trees around them.

"We should probably get some sleep, no da."

".yeah." Tasuki was certainly not enjoying the chill of the night air. He looked over at Chichiri and wondered how he could stand it all the time.

Chichiri spread out the blanket he had unpacked as close to the fire as he could without any risk of it catching. He patted the section nearest the fire. "You can sleep next to the fire, no da."

Tasuki smiled. "Thanks, Chi-san." He picked up the blanket, sliding under it. It didn't provide much warmth, but it was better than nothing.

Chichiri slid in next to him, wrapping the blanket around himself. He looked up through the trees so that he could see the stars, the constellations. He found his own. and then found Tasuki's. Then he went through, thinking about each of the others' in turn.

He felt a slight shiver beside him, and looked over to see how Tasuki was doing. He must have been freezing, and he was shivering on and off.

"You cold, Tasuki-kun, no da?"

"H..hai."

Chichiri snuggled up closer to the younger man, wrapping his arm around him, trying to hold the warmth in. He felt Tasuki grasp his hand in his own.

"Arigato, Chi-san."

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	2. Chapter 2

Running Away  
  
Chapter 2  
  
  
  
"How long is it now, Chi-san?" Tasuki groaned.  
  
Chichiri looked back at his companion who was leaning over so far he could almost touch the ground. "Not much farther, no da."  
  
Tasuki sighed. "All we ever do is walk. Why can't we take some other sort of transportation?"  
  
"If you want to crawl, that's fine with me, no da." Chichiri said cheerfully.  
  
"That's not what I meant!"  
  
The two walked on in silence for a bit more, Tasuki falling slightly behind as his legs became more and more tired.  
  
"I need to stop and rest, Chi-san."  
  
Now it was Chichiri's turn to sigh. "But that's all you ever do, no da. It's a wonder we get anywhere." He knealt down next to where Tasuki had sat down on the ground. "I mean it, though, it's only just over the next hill, no da."  
  
"But Chi-saaaaan.my legs are too tired."  
  
Chichiri looked extremely exhasperated. He thought back to the many times that he and Tasuki had been in this position. Many times.  
  
He decided to end it quickly. After all, it was only past the next hill until they reached their desination.  
  
He turned around, his arms out behind him. "Get up, Tasuki-kun, no da."  
  
This was certainly something new. A look of surprise came over Tasuki's face, but then he got up and walked over to where Chichiri was.  
  
It was kind of strange, the way he felt. It was like, it was so right. He leaned himself on Chichiri's back, bringing his arms up over his shoulders. Then, Chichiri stood up.  
  
Tasuki wasn't that heavy. Sure, he wasn't light as a feather either, but he expected it to be a little heavier. He turned his head around to look at Tasuki. "Daijobu ka, no da?"  
  
"I'm fine." Tasuki grinned, wrapping his legs around Chichiri's waist.  
  
Anybody who came along at that moment would have seriously thought that these two men were about to go after each other. But luckily, no one came along.  
  
"Go horse, go!"  
  
Chichiri sighed, Tasuki was enjoying this far too much. "You call me that again and I put you down, no da."  
  
"Gomen ne, Chi-san. Didn't mean it." He just grinned some more.  
  
Their going was slow, but, Chichiri had to admit, it was faster than it would have been if Tasuki just sat there in the middle of the road all day. They should get there in about ten minutes, if he kept walking as they were.  
  
"Hey look, I can see it! I can see it!" Tasuki was pointing to the building that was starting to come into view.  
  
"You don't have to shout in my ear, no da."  
  
Chichiri walked up to the entrance of the village inn, glad to finally be there.  
  
"Yay! We made it, we made it!" Tasuki was. um. jumping up and down on Chichiri's back. (^.^;;)  
  
At that moment, one of the elderly residents of the inn decided to come outside for a walk. Both Chichiri and Tasuki watched as he walked out the door, heading in their general direction.  
  
Chichiri waved weakly at the man while Tasuki waved his hand above his head.  
  
"Hello!! Mr. Man!! This is the inn, right?"  
  
The man looked up at the two and then walked on. The two of the looked after him as he walked, and were very surprised when he suddenly turned around, looking them full on.  
  
The man walked up to the two of them, not saying anything. Chichiri watched his eyes go from his face, to Tasuki's face, and then to where Tasuki's legs were wrapped tightly around his waist.  
  
He wanted to go, "Hey! This isn't what is seems" but the man was suddenly running back into the inn, seeming very excited.  
  
The two of them watched the door of the inn swing shut, then open, then shut, then open until it finally stopped. Still, there was no sign of the man.  
  
"Weird guy." Tasuki didn't seem worried. "Come on Chi-san, let's get ourselves a room."  
  
"Get off my back first, no da."  
  
"But Chi-saaaan.I still can't walk that well."  
  
"We're going inside, now get off, no da. I'm sure you can walk into the inn. or perhaps you want to stay outside again, na no da?"  
  
Tasuki got the picture and quickly slid off the older man's back, landing gently onto the road. Then, the two of them strode up to the inn, Tasuki complaining the whole way.  
  
Chichiri opened up the door, his eyes adjusting to the sudden darkness of the inn. It was very low-lit, no wonder it was a good place for the elderly to stay.  
  
When he could finally see well, he took a look around. He was in a cozy looking check-in area, with walls adorned with paintings and other kind of things. There wasn't a bar that he could tell, which was good since he really didn't feel like getting into anymore trouble.  
  
He felt like he was being watched. Very faintly. He looked around, looking for the eyes that he felt on him.  
  
"Eh, Chi-san? Why's everybody lookin' at us?"  
  
Tasuki was right. It seemed like everybody in the entire inn was standing in doorways, corners, behind counters, all wanting to see who these two men were.  
  
"Daa. what is this, no da?"  
  
"They're startin' ta' scare me. Maybe we should go somewhere else."  
  
"NO, no.!"  
  
A large cheerful lady popped up behind the counter right in their faces.  
  
"DAAAAA!!!!!" Chichiri jumped into Tasuki's arms SD style, shaking all over. Tasuki wasn't that much better off, memories of Taiitsukun still stuck in his head.  
  
"Don't be shy, we folks up here just don' get many visitors. We're a bit out of the way, you see." The lady seemed to really want them to stay.  
  
"Whatever." Tasuki walked up to the counter, still holding the (adorable) SD Chichiri. "How much for a double room?"  
  
The lady glanced down at her list. She seemed very intent. "Oh, um, I'm very sorry. We don't have a single double room left. But. why don't I just give ya' a single? It's real comfy." The lady said with a smile.  
  
Tasuki sweatdropped. "Hear that, Chi-san? No double rooms."  
  
Chichiri came back from his SD mode now that the fright had worn off. "You're sure you don't have any, no da?"  
  
"Pretty sure."  
  
"Alright, we'll take that then, no da. How much will it be?"  
  
The lady glanced down at her list. "Hmm. for you it'll be. 30 mon."  
  
"That's crazy!! That's cheaper than a. than. loaf a' bread!"  
  
"Well, I didn't know our rooms were so cheap." The lady said innocently. "Don't you like cheap rooms?"  
  
"Depends on the condition."  
  
"Well, anyway. Your room is up on the left, number 3. Have a nice stay!" The lady smiled happily, shooing them off to their room.  
  
The two of them walked up the steps, still feeling the residents' eyes on their backs the whole way.  
  
"Is it just me or is something up with this place?" 


	3. Chapter 3

Running Away  
  
Chapter 3  
  
  
  
Chichiri sighed, looking down at the one bed that the room contained. It was so small that a single person would probably have trouble sleeping on it. They should've just gotten two rooms.  
  
"What the hell's with this? How're we supposed ta' sleep in here?" Tasuki's reaction to the bed wasn't much different.  
  
Chichiri set down his bags at the foot of the bed, and then reached up stretching his hands above his head. His hands hit the ceiling though, as it was really low.  
  
Both men were quiet for a moment, and it was then that they heard the voices outside their door. The two of them walked up to it, pressing their ears against the wood.  
  
"Shh. be quiet. They'll hear you!"  
  
"You're the one bein' loud."  
  
"How long do'ya think it'll take?"  
  
"I don't know. Morning maybe?"  
  
"We haven't gotten visitors for a long time. This'll be fun!"  
  
"It's good to see young people like this again."  
  
Both men listened intently. Suddenly, the voices outside stopped. Tasuki heard a soft rustle as the people on the other side of the door put their ears up to the door, trying to hear in.  
  
It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.  
  
"What are they doing in there?"  
  
"I can't hear anything."  
  
Tasuki backed away from the door, landing back on the bed. "Aww!! This is the best room I've ever been in. I'm so glad that lady gave us this room!"  
  
Chichiri could hear stifled giggles from behind the door. He went over and joined Tasuki in sitting on the bed. "What are you doing, Tasuki-kun, no da?"  
  
"I'm just lying here! Hey, do you hear something from behind the door?"  
  
There was a slight gasp as the people behind the door scattered, fearing that any second the door would be opened and they would be caught.  
  
Tasuki smirked. "Guess that scared 'em off. but, why the hell would anyone listen in our door? What do they want?"  
  
Chichiri shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows, no da?"  
  
Tasuki leaned back into the pillow, gazing up at the ceiling. "Man. I'm as tired as hell."  
  
"I'm tired too, no da." Chichiri walked up, leaning his staff against wall, carefully so that it wouldn't fall. "We should get some sleep, no da."  
  
Chichiri was just about to get down on the bed beside Tasuki when all of a sudden, the door burst open.  
  
"How're you boys doin'?!!"  
  
"DAAAA!!!!" Chichiri. "daa"ed. Once again he leaped into Tasuki's arms at the sight of the large woman. "Tas-chan, save me!!"  
  
"Sorry 'bout that. I was just worried, ya' know? Thought you boys might need somethin'."  
  
Tasuki didn't hear a thing she said. He was too focused on what Chichiri had just said. Did he just call me. Tas-chan?!? He looked down at the little SD monk who lay huddled in his arms. Tas-chan?!?!  
  
"You know, we have a really nice hot spring out back. Maybe you boys'd. care to take a bath or somethin'?"  
  
"Yeah." Tasuki weakly nodded his head. "A bath would be nice."  
  
"Alright then, I'll get it ready. You just come down when you want to get in."  
  
The lady left, and Chichiri gratefully crawled off the bed. "That lady scares me, no da."  
  
"Yeah. me too." Tasuki was just kind of watching Chichiri.  
  
"Um. Tasuki-kun? Daijobu ka, na no da?"  
  
Tasuki lept out of his trance. "Ah. daijobu. I'm fine. Just a little, you know."  
  
Chichiri stood back up. "A bath will feel good, no da. I know I could sure use one. So, let's get our stuff, no da."  
  
"Right." Tasuki stood up off the bed and walked over to where a couple of towels had been carefully layed there for bath-time use. "Here, Chi-san." He said, tossing one of the towels to Chichiri.  
  
Chichiri held the towel up. "These are a. little small, no da."  
  
Tasuki looked at the towel, then he tried stretching his around his waist. It wouldn't even go all the way around.  
  
"What kind of @#$%ing place is this that doesn't even have @#$%ing big enough towels?!?!?!?!"  
  
"Language, Tasuki-kun. Are there any more, no da?"  
  
Tasuki looked, and found none. Only the two that he had picked up were there. "Geez, first they give us this tiny room. Then, they listen to us through the door. And last, they expect us to go strutting around in towels that don't even go all around your body!!!"  
  
Chichiri sighed. "Let's just go tell her, no da. I'm sure she'll give us bigger ones."  
  
"Right, after all that service I wouldn't bet on it."  
  
Reluctantly, though, he followed Chichiri downstairs and to the backdoor. He could see the lady inn-keeper through the windows, so he knew he was going the right way.  
  
The two of them walked out, feeling the soft breeze of evening start to blow through the trees. For some reason, when the lady saw them, she had a rather disappointed look on her face.  
  
"Ah. these towels. Are you sure they're the right ones, no da?"  
  
The lady looked at the towels like she'd never seen them before in her life. "Oh! I'm so sorry. I must have given you the wrong towels. Oh, stupid me. I'll go right away and fetch you some bigger ones."  
  
"Thank you, no da."  
  
The two of them watched her go back inside the inn. "See, I told you she'd have more, no da."  
  
"Yeah, well that's about the only thing that's gone right since we got here."  
  
It only took about a minute for the lady to return with fresh clean towels. She held one up. "Is this alright?"  
  
"Yes, that's much better, thank you, no da."  
  
"Really, I'm very sorry about that. I don't know what I was thinking."  
  
Tasuki murmured something under his breath but Chichiri quickly elbowed him in the side, cutting off his breath.  
  
"Is the. bath ready, no da?"  
  
"Oh yes. Get right in. It's very warm, please enjoy yourselves." The lady smiled at them, and then went back inside the inn to work the front desk some more.  
  
The two of them just kind of stood there, staring at the water in the bath. They'd done this before. Many times. But for some reason. for some reason. it was, different now.  
  
"You first. Tasuki-kun, no da." Chichri said, gesturing to the bath.  
  
"No, no. you should go first."  
  
The two stood there more uncomfortably now. They heard something coming from behind them and they both whirled around. There wasn't anything there.  
  
"O. okay, I'll go first, no da."  
  
Tasuki politely turned away as Chichiri undressed and got in the bath. Then he slowly took off his clothes, putting them aside. He was careful not to put them close to Chichiri's, as that would make it harder when getting out.  
  
He quickly entered the bath, not bothered by the water that seemed to scald his skin. It felt as if his face was a hundred times warmer than the rest of his body.  
  
They sat there, just sitting. Neither one of them really sure what to do. It felt like there were still people watching them, like somebody was always staring, but when they looked, there wasn't anyone there that they could see.  
  
Tasuki heard voices, getting closer. He turned towards the souce and was very surprised to see a bright, chipper and very naked young man come running towards them.  
  
He was yelling, a bright smile on his face. When he reached the bath, he quickly jumped in, creating a couple of waves that washed across the two seishi.  
  
"Konbanwa!!" The young man popped out of the water. He had red hair, darker than Tasuki's, that went down to his waist. He looked only about 16.  
  
Suddenly, the inn-keeper was standing over the side of the bath. Tasuki's face, if possible, turned about ten shades redder, and Chichiri squirmed a bit uncomfortable.  
  
"Taikisei! What did I tell you about annoying the residents?"  
  
"What do ya' mean, ma? I'm not annoyin' anybody!" The boy put on his most innocent face.  
  
The inn-keeper sighed, turning towards the two very uncomfortable men. "I'm sorry. This is my son, Taikisei. If it really doesn't bother you he can stay. But if you feel too uncomfortable I can tell him to leave."  
  
Tasuki wanted to yell out that it was her that was makin' him uncomfortable, but he decided against it. He didn't want to cause anymore trouble. "Nah. it's. it's fine."  
  
Chichiri nodded in agreement, anxious to have the lady leave. He had no qualms about a young boy staying here. He glanced over at Tasuki, but quickly looked away when Tasuki looked back at him.  
  
Okay, so maybe I'm more uncomfortable sitting next to Tasuki than I am even in front of that lady. But. why? We've. we've done this before. This is nothing new.  
  
The lady smiled, walking back into the inn. Before she left, her voice could be heard. "Now, don't cause any trouble, Taikisei."  
  
"I won't, ma." The boy smiled, looking back at the two men. "So. who are you?"  
  
He seemed to have lost his voice. He tried saying something, except that he couldn't. When he had looked over at Chichiri. it was like. it was like.. something had gone between them. He didn't know what it was.  
  
Chichiri watched Tasuki squirm uncomfortably. "I'm Chichiri, and this is Tasuki, no da."  
  
"Does your friend talk?" Taikisei gestured towards Tasuki.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. I can talk." Tasuki finally got out. He worked as hard as he could to make the red fade out of his face. He hoped that Chichiri hadn't noticed it. He hoped that it only looked like he was warm from the bath.  
  
"Oh, I see. So. what are you doin' so far from the civilized world?"  
  
"We travel around a lot. From one place to the other, no da."  
  
"That's so cool! Sometimes I wish I could do that, but I like it right here at the inn, ya' know. I guess people have their own interests, right, right?" He slapped Tasuki on the back, sending him sprawling over Chichiri.  
  
Chichiri's face lit up on fire feeling Tasuki right there. He felt like he was going to burst. Tasuki froze instantly, overtaken by the sheer fact of where he was touching Chichiri.  
  
"DAAAA!!!!" The two of them jumped as far away from each other as they could while still staying in the bath. Both looked visibly shaken.  
  
Taikisei was very confused in all of this. He looked back and forth from one to the other. "What's wrong with you guys?"  
  
Tasuki settled down, sliding back fully into the bath. "N. n. nothing's wrong. right Chi-san?"  
  
"R.right.no da."  
  
What was going on? He had never really felt this way about Chichiri before. What was happening between them? 


	4. Chapter 4

Running Away  
  
Chapter 4  
  
  
  
Tasuki and Chichiri were sitting with Taikisei at a table in Taikisei's room. His room was a lot bigger than their room… so, of course they were there.  
  
That's not saying that they had anything to do…  
  
"I'm bored…" Tasuki slammed his head down on the table. "Isn't there anything interesting to do in this hell-hole?"  
  
Taikisei gave Tasuki a mean look, but did have to admit that there wasn't anything to do. "Well…"  
  
"How do you spend your nights here, Taikisei-kun, no da?"  
  
A slight smile spread across Taikisei's face. "We could always play… cards."  
  
Tasuki lifted his face up from the dent in the table he had made. "And just what kind of cards do you suggest?"  
  
Taikisei held up his pack of playing cards, looking out at the other two men. "How about… strip-poker?"  
  
The whole room must have gotten 100 degrees warmer because both Tasuki and Chichiri's faces got beet red.  
  
"S… strip-poker, no da?"  
  
Taikisei nodded with a smile, a bit pleased at the reaction he had gotten.  
  
"… but I don't know how to play poker, no da." Chichiri said with a bit of relief sounding in his voice. Maybe he could get out of this yet…  
  
Tasuki's heart was fluttering in his chest. If they were to play… if they were to play… well, anything like that, then… then… He glanced at Chichiri, his blush deepening.  
  
Taikisei smiled, unfazed. "Well, everybody knows how to play hearts, right? We'll just play that instead." He knew from their silent faces that they both knew how to play. "Come on, this'll be fun."  
  
"Yeah.. yeah, it'll be fun…" Tasuki tried to look like everything was fine, despite how completely uncomfortable he felt right then.  
  
Suddenly, the door to the room slammed open, hitting the wall with a huge bang. "I wanna' play!!!" An old man, one of the residents of the inn, jumped through the open doorway.  
  
"DAAAAA!!!!!" Chichiri, already completely off-guard with their conversation right before, instinctively jumped in Tasuki's arms. "This inn scares me!!!"  
  
The man sauntered in, taking a place at the table.  
  
"Nokorihashi!!! What did I tell you about eavesdropping?" Taikisei stood up angrily, glaring down at the short man.  
  
"Gomen ne, Taikisei-san. But I just couldn't help it! I love playing hearts!!"  
  
Tasuki and Chichiri seemed to not even notice the conversation that was going on as Chichiri had just noticed where he had jumped to so quickly. Blushing madly, he returned to his seat as fast as he could.  
  
"G-gomen, Tasuki-kun. I… didn't mean…" He looked down, gripping his hands tightly together.  
  
Tasuki was just as uncomfortable back in his chair. He looked away, quickly adding, "It's… it's okay, Chi-san."  
  
Taikisei, after finished scolding the old man, turned back to the two seishi, completely oblivious to what had just happened. "Alright, we gonna' play or what?" He sat back down in his chair, quickly shuffling the cards. "I hope it's okay with you two that Nokorihashi is playing… I couldn't get him to go away."  
  
Though neither of the two men really wanted to see the old man naked, there were worse things that could happen.  
  
"Daijobu, na no da… it's fine."  
  
Taikisei slid his chair all the way up to the table and started dealing out the cards, 13 cards to each of them.  
  
Tasuki picked up his cards, staring intently at them. He didn't really want to admit to everyone that he was a terrible card player…  
  
"Alright, pick three cards to pass to your left."  
  
Tasuki looked over the cards in his hand. He had to pass three of them to Chichiri… He thumbed through them. Finally he picked out three and slid them across the table. He flinched when Chichiri's hand touched his, picking up the three cards.  
  
He quickly brought his hand back, and then picked up the three cards that Nokorihashi passed him. Geez, these are terrible cards! Why'd he have to give me the Queen of Spades?  
  
"Alright, I'm starting." Taikisei sat the 2 of clubs down in the middle of the table. Nokorihashi set down a king of clubs next to the 2. Tasuki hurriedly looked down at his cards, wondering what to play.  
  
He decided to try and get rid of his highest cards first, so he set down his highest club, an 8. To his left, Chichiri set down an ace, so he took the cards.  
  
Tasuki braced himself, wondering what the next suit would be. Chichiri set down a… spade. Oh noooo!!!!! The only spade I have is the Queen!!!  
  
He nervously watched as Taikisei and Nokorihashi set down their guards, and stared helplessly when they both set down lower cards than a Queen. Why me why me why me?!?  
  
Tasuki gulped, and set down the Queen. Taikisei let out a little snicker as Tasuki reluctantly took the cards, setting them off to the side.  
  
I'm gonna' lose, I'm gonna' lose, I'm gonna' lose!!! He stared down at his cards, waiting for the next person to go.  
  
"Um… Tasuki-kun, no da. You have to put down a card."  
  
Tasuki jumped up. "Oh yeah…" He grinned sheepishly, and then down a 6 of clubs. He watched as Nokorihashi took the newly formed pile of cards. Sure, the cards he has to take don't give him any points.  
  
The four of them continued putting down cards and following suits until Tasuki finally broke hearts. Then, it started to get hard.  
  
First a two, then a five, then a seven… Tasuki sighed in relief as the first round came to a close and he hadn't gotten anymore points.  
  
Everybody counted up how many points they had gotten, and then Taikisei wrote down all their scores on a piece of paper. He went over the scores.  
  
"Tasuki… you're losing." He gestured towards Tasuki.  
  
"…yeah?"  
  
"You've gotta' take off something."  
  
The blush returned to Tasuki's face. "…. Okay…" He looked down at his feet, but then he felt better, seeing that he could just take off his boots.  
  
He bent down and quickly slipped his left boot off his foot. He sat back up, a triumphant smile on his face. "Okay, I'm done."  
  
Taikisei sighed, resting his head in his hands. "If you take off something like that, then you have to take off both of them."  
  
Tasuki grumbled something to himself, but reluctantly he bent down and took off the other boot. He held up both his boots. "Happy now?"  
  
Taikisei nodded, and then began passing everyone out 13 cards again. "'Member, this time we pass the cards to the right."  
  
Everyone nodded, and then picked up their cards to see what they got. Tasuki looked down at his cards, and then picked up his three highest cards and slid them across the table to Nokorihashi.  
  
He turned to face Chichiri so that he could get the three cards from him, and couldn't help but notice how fast Chichiri removed his hand from the cards as he passed them to him.  
  
"Ooh, I start again." Taikisei said, putting the 2 of clubs back onto the table before Tasuki even had the chance to look at the cards he got.  
  
"What the hell?!" Tasuki stood up, seeing the Queen of spades back in his possession. The other three players looked quite shock at his sudden outburst.  
  
Tasuki coughed into his hand, feeling rather stupid. "Oh, um, sorry…" He sat back down, turning his attention back to the game. He noticed Chichiri giving him a worried look out of the corner of his eye, and he couldn't help but shrink a little lower in his chair.  
  
"It's your turn, sonny." Nokorihashi looked at him anxiously.  
  
Well, he's certainly into the game. Tasuki shot Nokorihashi a glare and then sat down his king of clubs next to the other two cards.  
  
When Nokorihashi set down his 2 of spades next, Tasuki noticed in relief that he had more spades besides the queen. He would have sworn the whole game was rigged in some way if the same thing happened this time as did the last time.  
  
The game went on for a bit, and this time it was Chichiri who broke hearts. Tasuki sighed in frustration as he took the ace of hearts from the middle of the table. Why oh why did he always end up getting the first points?  
  
His worry increased as more and more hearts seemed to magically appear in his point pile. Was he really that bad at this game?  
  
He stared down at the last card left in his hand, the Queen of spades. He closed his eyes and set it down on the table. When he opened them, he saw Nokorihashi slide the cards his way.  
  
"NOOOOO!!!!! Why is this happening to me?!" Tasuki shot up from the table.  
  
"I guess it's just the luck of the game, sonny." Nokorihashi said with his usual smile.  
  
"Wait a minute, no da… none of us have any hearts…"  
  
All of them were quiet when they noticed this. They stared at the pile of cards that had developed next to where Tasuki sat.  
  
"Oh no… he shot the moon…" Taikisei slumped down on the table.  
  
Tasuki seemed very confused. "I… I did?" He picked up the point cards he had collected, staring at them. "I did!!!!!"  
  
The three other players sighed disappointedly as Tasuki began to dance happily. "So, where does that put the standings, no da?"  
  
Taikisei reluctantly added 26 points to each of their scores and then added it all up. "Aw man… that puts me in the rear. Guess that means I gotta' take off something."  
  
Taikisei folded his arms around his waist and then pulled off his shirt, revealing a white undershirt underneath. He tossed the shirt off to the side and then returned to the pile of cards, which he began to once more deal out.  
  
"You can sit down now, Tasuki-kun, no da." Chichiri sweat-dropped as Tasuki dropped back down in his chair, a huge smile spread across his face.  
  
"I guess that just shows you guys, huh? Who's the better player here?"  
  
Nobody said anything as they picked up their cards. Tasuki eyed his eagerly. "Wait a minute, who do I pass to this time?"  
  
"You pass across." Taikisei said before sliding three cards across to Tasuki.  
  
"Oh yeah, I knew that." Tasuki once again slid his three highest cards, and was very relieved when he saw that he didn't get the Queen of spades.  
  
At first, nobody did anything. "Um… who has the 2 of clubs?"  
  
Tasuki looked at his cards. "Oh! I do!" Tasuki set the card on the table and waited while everybody else put their cards on top of it.  
  
The next few games went a lot faster, and were better for Tasuki at least. Chichiri didn't have it so lucky, he lost all three of them.  
  
"Daaa…." Chichiri sighed as he carefully took off his kesa, folding it before setting beside his other discarded garments. "Why do I always lose?"  
  
Tasuki's face began to redden some more as he began to realize what would happen if Chichiri kept losing. He'll be… he'll be…  
  
His thoughts were interrupted as Taikisei passed out the next set of cards. Tasuki tried to tell himself that everything would turn out alright, but… he didn't really believe himself.  
  
Tasuki got a ton of points on the next game, which was probably a result of his poor concentration, but Chichiri was still losing. Tasuki blushed even more as Chichiri reluctanly took off his shirt, putting it in his ever- growing pile of clothes.  
  
Both Nokorihashi and Taikisei thought it rather off that Tasuki seemed to be blushing even more than Chichiri, even though it was Chichiri that had to take off something.  
  
Tasuki was finding it now very hard to concentrate, with this shirt-less Chichiri sitting right next to him. He found his eyes wandering over to him in the middle of the games, and he had to almost slap himself to stop.  
  
It was no big surprise then when Tasuki soon had more points than Chichiri, and he had to start taking off clothes. He watched as his pile of clothes on the floor grew larger than Chichiri's. Of course, he had more layers than Chichiri… but the room was definitely starting to feel colder.  
  
Well, it would have felt colder to Tasuki if he hadn't been blushing so hard. Because now, five games later, he sat wearing nothing except his underwear.  
  
Everyone in the room was starting to get very uncomfortable because they knew that Tasuki was going to lose the next game too, he was too far behind to not lose, and they knew the only thing left to come off was…  
  
Chichiri felt like he was on fire. He looked down at his hands, at his cards, at the walls, anywhere to not be looking at Tasuki. His mind kept picking out little details on Tasuki's body: the curve of his back, the muscles in his arms… basically, just how bea-… no, he wouldn't say it. He wouldn't say it.  
  
The final round of the game came to a close, and everybody stared intently as Taikisei added up the points. They all knew what he would say, they just wanted to hear it out loud.  
  
"Well… Tasuki. You're… last again, I guess. There really wasn't any way you could have caught up in the first place." Taikisei shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He had thought they would finish the game before anyone had to… you know…  
  
Everybody looked at Tasuki, whose face turned bright red once again. I have to… I have to… and in front of Chichiri!! I can't do this! I just can't!  
  
He stood up, gripping the sides of his underwear with his hands. He closed his eyes, not really believing he was about to do this.  
  
Chichiri couldn't take his eyes off Tasuki. He watched him there, shaking, holding on to his underwear as if they were his lifeline. He's really going to do it! I'll see him… all of him…  
  
Tasuki held his breath, and then slid them down his legs as fast as he could. It was so silent in the room you could have heard a pin drop.  
  
Chichiri sucked in his breath, not able to breathe. Oh Suzaku oh Suzaku oh Suzaku…  
  
Tasuki stood there, visibly shaking. Finally, he just lost it. He ran out of the room, not caring that he was running out into the hall where about a dozen other inn residents were standing.  
  
Chichiri could hear Tasuki's footsteps running to their room, but he didn't really hear them. The only thing in his head right now was the picture of Tasuki standing there… with nothing on. He sat there, not saying a word. 


	5. Chapter 5

****

Running Away

Chapter 5

Chichiri walked as quietly into the dark bedroom as he could, not wanting to wake up the other seishi. He winced, inwardly cursing as the floor creaked beneath him.

"Chi-san… that you?"

He heard Tasuki's voice coming out from the darkness. He walked towards the voice, trying to make his way without bumping into anything.

"… I brought your clothes, Tasuki-kun, no da."

He heard a soft rustle, and then he faintly saw a hand reach out from the covers of the bed, reaching towards him. He gripped Tasuki's clothes in his hand and held them out so Tasuki could grab them.

"Thanks."

Chichiri stood there for a couple of minutes, not sure exactly what to do. He soon became uncomfortable, and wondered if he should just make himself at home on the floor.

"I'm not _that_ much of a jerk, Chi-san. I won't make ya' sleep on the floor."

Chichiri smiled despite himself. Sometimes it felt as though Tasuki could read his mind. "Y…you're sure? It's a rather small bed, no da."

There was a short pause as if Tasuki was heavily comtemplating Chichiri's answer. "Look, we've spent enough of our nights outside… you and I, we _both_ deserve a bed for once."

"O-okay… no da." Chichiri walked over to the corner and gently set down his kesa and rosary which he had been holding. He set his boots next to them, not wanting to get any dirt on his kesa.

He walked silently over to the bed, and it took him second to even start to get in. He gently lifted the blanket up and slid his feet down to the bottom of the bed. Then he pulled the covers up tightly around his shoulders, relishing in the warmth. He could hear Tasuki's heavy breathing beside him.

He closed his eyes, watching as complete darkness overtook him. It didn't take him long to get to sleep, but in his mind, the same picture kept coming up…

****

Small rays of sunshine had just started to come into their room. Their bed seemed to be positioned just so, in order to let those rays hit the bed perfectly. 

Chichiri awoke in a very… comfy position. He didn't realize where exactly this was at first, all he knew was that he felt two arms holding him tightly. Wanting more of this warmth, he snuggled closer to the body that held him.

He could hear the heavy breathing of the other person, felt it softly in his hair. He smiled, not wanting this to end.

*BAM* "Rise and shine, boys!!! Time to get up!"

Chichiri woke up completely, and fully noticed just exactly where he was.

"T…Tasuki-kun…?"

He felt Tasuki stir, saw him open his eyes, saw him look down at him.

"DAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!" The two must have jumped a mile high. Tasuki pulled the covers around him, sliding back against the wall, while Chichiri landed at the opposite wall. 

"C…Chi….Chichiri?"

"Did I… interrupt anything here?" The inn-keeper had a smile on her face as she looked into the room at the two men. 

"DA! No… iie… you didn't… no da…"

The lady chuckled to herself before adding, "Um, may I ask where your clothes are, sir?"

Tasuki's eyes became _very_ big as he glanced down. He then remembered that he had never actually put them _on_ last night. _I was… I was… I was…_

"Well, when you two are ready, we've got breakfast ready downstairs. Okay?" The lady left the room, shutting the door behind her. 

The room was deathly quiet, neither seishi doing or saying anything. Tasuki felt like he would suffocate from the atmosphere. "Chi-san… I didn't… I mean…"

"I'm, going down to breakfast, no da!" Chichiri got up and walked quickly to the door, not even bothering to put his kesa on. 

Tasuki watched the monk leave the room. He sat there, shivering, but not from the cold.

"This can't be happening, this can't be happening, this can't be happening…"


	6. Chapter 6

****

Running Away

Chapter 6

Chichiri was grateful when they finally left the inn and began their way back on the dirt road. The inn just didn't… feel right. Of course, he had been sure to thank the old inn-keeper kindly, as they _had_ provided them with a place to stay…

Tasuki was walking on ahead of him. It was strange… Tasuki was usually so talkative, always doing something. But today, his head hung down and he was oddly quiet. It looked like he was almost about to cry.

Chichiri decided to ask him what was wrong… but not yet. He'd wait until they were firmly on their way. Besides, maybe he'd be better by then anyway.

He tried to act happy, to act like nothing was wrong, trying to get Tasuki to cheer up, but nothing seemed to work. Tasuki wouldn't even look up, wouldn't say anything. He only gave Chichiri a slight nod.

Chichiri looked at the road that lay ahead of them. He always felt pretty good when they first set off. He liked to imagine what the next place they went to would be like, what kind of people would be there, and no doubt, what kind of trouble they would get in.

He didn't notice, when all of sudden, Tasuki stopped in the middle of the road. He nearly ran into him, stopping himself just in time.

"Tasuki-kun, what's wrong, no da?"

At first there was no answer, just that usual same quietness. "Why don't you ask yourself that?"

Chichiri was quite taken back at this answer. "N.. nani?"

Tasuki lifted his head up, but still didn't turn around. He wouldn't be able to say this if he turned around. He couldn't look in his face…

"Look… both you and I know what's going on, so there's no use hiding it anymore, okay? You don't have to play dumb."

"W… what do you mean, Tasuki-kun, no da?"

"Dammit Chichiri! Will you just stop that?! And take off that damned mask of yours, this is hard enough for me as it is!"  


Chichiri didn't do anything at first, but then he slowly brought his hand up to his face, removing the mask. "Tasuki…?"

"Chichiri.. I think.. I mean… I think it would be best if… if both of us spent some time away from one another…"

"B…but Tasuki, I can't…"

"Look Chichiri!" Tasuki turned around, and Chichiri found in surprise that tears were pouring from Tasuki's eyes. "This is just as hard for me, okay? But… but… this is just going too far, Chichiri, and I'm fuckin' scared!"

Chichiri felt as if his legs were about to give out from beneath him, and he sat down quickly in the middle of the road. He could feel tears threatening to come out as he began to take in what Tasuki was saying.

"We can't _do _this! It just… it's just not right, okay? You're a monk… and I'm… I'm a bandit… and I mean, we're both… we're both…"

Chichiri closed his eyes tigthly, trying to hold back the tears.

"Aw fuck. Chi… Chichiri… you'll see, this is… this is better for the both of us. We just have to pretend this never happened, we have to forget about it!"

"But Tasuki! I don't _want_ to forget about it!" Chichiri was openly crying now. He couldn't… he just couldn't go through this again.

"Me neither! But… but…" Tasuki moved forward, taking Chichiri's face in his hands. He brought his face to Chichiri's, pushing his lips deeply into the other's. He wrapped his hands around Chichiri's neck, kissing more furvently. 

He finally broke the kiss, leaning back to look into Chichiri's face. He looked so scared… so small…

"I've… I've gotta' go!!" Tasuki stood up, quickly turning around. His feet pounding against the rough dirt as he ran away as fast as he could, ran away from everything that had happened.

Chichiri watched him go, his heart breaking with every step Tasuki took. "Tasuki!!! TASUKI!!!!!"


	7. Chapter 7

****

Running Away

Chapter 7

Chichiri sighed, setting down the glass of saké on the table. A clink of glasses could be heard from the other side of the bar as a waitress walked around the tables, smiling at the customers.

"So… he just left ya' there, did he?"

"…yeah…"

Taikisei looked down at the older man. In his mind, Chichiri and Tasuki had always seemed just right for each other. This sudden step was a big surprise.

"Maybe… maybe you should just give him time."

"… I… don' t know…" Chichiri went over the events again over and over in his head, replaying everything: stopping in the middle of the road, Tasuki telling them they should split up, the… the kiss…

It had felt wonderful… God it had felt wonderful. He had never wanted it to end, never thought he'd ever feel that way. He wished… he wished he could feel it again. Wished that he could hold Tasuki in his arms the way he had before.

He had come to face the facts in his head: he _loved_ Tasuki. Tasuki had been right, they both knew it, deep inside. But why? Why oh why…?

Chichiri had come back to the inn, tears gone by then, but he felt worn out, tired, and completely emotionless. He'd told Taikisei, about Tasuki leaving that is… but he hadn't told him _everything._ He'd conveniently left out the part where Tasuki kissed him.

It had been two days… two _days_ already. Chichiri was beginning to think that he couldn't even go on anymore… not without Tasuki. Everytime he turned around, he expected the bandit to be there, making some crack about something he said or did. 

Tears started to come to his eyes again, but he wiped them away as fast as he could, not wanting Taikisei to see him cry.

"D..daijobu, Chichiri?" Taikisei asked, a concerned look on his face.

"I'm alright… just got something caught in my eye… no da…"

Taikisei turned his eyebrows up. "Yeah… whatever. Look, if you miss him that much, you should go tell him. You know where he went… I know you do. You just… won't go there, will you?"

Chichiri looked away. If he went after Tasuki, he knew that he'd only hurt the two of them even more. What would Tasuki do? Welcome him back with open arms? No… not after that… He knew that going back would only make the wound deeper. And then, and then, if Tasuki ran away again? Chichiri knew he couldn't go through with that again.

"I can't…"

"What do you mean you can't? Why? Tell me why."

"I just can't. You wouldn't understand… Tasuki wouldn't… no, it would only make things worse…"

Taikisei was silent, looking at the back of the monk. He felt a sudden breeze sweep in through the bar and shivered, pulling a lock of hair behind his ear. 

Chichiri raised his head, turning towards the bar-tender who was standing not too far away. He held up his cup. "Please…"

The bar-tender nodded and walked over, refilling Chichiri's cup with a fresh round of saké. 

"Arigato…" Chichiri took a deep sip of the drink. He wanted it to take his worries away, make everything just go away. Didn't Tasuki always feel happy after he drank? So then, why shouldn't it work for him?

"Chichiri… that's your fifth cup. Don't you think you've had enough?" Taikisei asked worridly.

Chichiri looked into his now empty glass, not saying anything. For some reason, his brain wouldn't register why the glass was empty all of a sudden.

Taikisei walked over to Chichiri, gently resting his hand on the other's shoulder. "Come on, Chichiri. Let's go back to the inn. You can sleep on it…"

Chichiri looked up at Taikisei, not _fully_ taking in what he was saying. "…yeah…" He slowly got up, feeling a little wobbly. He balanced himself on Taikisei's shoulder and the two of them walked out.

It didn't take them very long to get to the inn, as it was only about five minutes away. When they got there, Taikisei walked Chichiri to the door of his room, opening the door for him.

"You think about it, alright? I'll wake ya' up in the morning." He watched Chichiri walk into the room, and then silently shut the door behind him. 

He stood there for about a minute, just staring at the door, and then he went on to his room, still deep in thought.

Chichiri leaned his back on the now closed door, looking into the dark room. He squinted his eyes, trying to make out shapes in the darkness. 

He slowly walked forward, looking down on the small bed that just a couple nights ago he had shared with Tasuki.

__

"What the hell's with this? How're we supposed ta' sleep in here?"

He felt a wetness in his eyes as he remembered Tasuki's comment about their room. He tried to smile, tried to think of those times with happiness, but all he could do was think about how much he missed Tasuki.

He looked over at the small drawer that held the bath-towels. He noted with a small grin that the tiny towels they had been given had been replaced by two full-size towels.

__

"What kind of @#$%ing place is this that doesn't even have @#$%ing big enough towels?!?!?!?"

A single tear slid silently down Chichiri's face. He sat down on the bed, gripping the fabric of his pants tightly in his hands. "Tasuki…"


	8. Chapter 8

****

Running Away 

Chapter 8

Taikisei walked down the hallway that led to Chichiri's room. The morning sun shone brightly in through the windows, lighting up the corriders. His stocking feet barely made any sound at all as he stepped on the rough wood.

He knocked on Chichiri's door. "Chichiri…? Are you awake?"

There wasn't an answer, so Taikisei expected that the monk was still asleep. He quietly opened the door, slipping into the darkened room. He didn't shut the door all the way behind him, leaving it open a crack.

His eyes fell immediately on the bed, and he was very surprised to see it empty. "Chichiri?" He quickly walked to the bed, staring down at the perfectly smoothed covers.

He stood there, just staring at it, wondering where the other could be. He was about to go downstairs and ask if any of the other residents had seen him, when his eyes caught a small piece of paper on the drawer next to the wall.

He shuffled over to it, taking the slip of paper in his hands. Through the darkness he could barely make out the words written on it.

__

"I'm going back to him."

****

Chichiri peeked out from behind the leaves of the tree that he sat in, lifting his kasa up so he could see better. Below him he watched as men bustled about, going into buildings, talking to one another.

He looked over to the tall wall that protected the bandit strong-hold as well as the guards that watched over it. He'd have to be careful now that he was inside: one wrong move and he could be caught.

He didn't want Tasuki to see him, he _couldn't_ let Tasuki see him. Everything would be ruined if that happened… he couldn't bear it. Couldn't see that look in Tasuki's eyes again.

He looked back down to the ground, wondering exactly it was where Tasuki stayed. There were so many buildings… they all looked the same. 

"Eh, Kouji. I see ya've been takin' care of things real well while I been away."

"I knew you'd want me to."

Chichiri couldn't mistake Tasuki's voice. He looked towards it, catching a glance at his fiery hair. 

"T…Tasuki…" his voice was barely above a whisper, saying the name of the man he wanted to be with the most.

He watched as Tasuki stood there next to Kouji, looking out at the buildings and the people going by. Whenever one of the bandits walked by, they always stopped and said a hearty "welcome back, boss".

Chichiri longed to go down there, to be next to Tasuki, tell him how he really felt and that everything would be alright. That… that he didn't have to be afraid anymore…

Chichiri wished that there was a way that he could get closer, but there weren't any hiding spots down there on the ground. Everything was so open… he guessed that the bandits liked it that way.

"So… why'd you finally decide to come back, Gen-chan?" Kouji turned around, looking at his companion.

Tasuki stopped still, thinking about what Kouji had just asked him. No… he couldn't tell him… he just couldn't…

"I thought you were travelin' around with that… what's his name? Wasn't it Chichiri?"

Tasuki sucked in his breath at being reminded of the monk. _Chichiri… I'm so sorry…_He wondered what Chichiri was doing right now, how he was dealing with everything.

Kouji looked worridly down at Tasuki. "Gen-chan…? You okay?"

Tasuki looked up hurridly, waving his hands in front of him. "No, no. I'm fine!! I was just… thinkin' is all…"

Kouji shrugged. "Well, doesn't really matter to me why ya' came back, just matters that ya' did, right?" He patted Tasuki on the back very hard, almost knocking the breath out of him.

"Ooph! Koujiiii, ya' tryin' ta' kill me here on my first day back?" Tasuki tried giving his friend a hard look, but found he couldn't and just burst out laughing.

Chichiri watched all this quietly from the tree. _Tasuki… is this it? Is everything just going to be the same for you? _It struck him hard, watching Tasuki like this. He wished… he wished…

Tasuki was getting up, starting to walk away. 

"Da!" Chichiri said a bit too loud as he caught sight of the bandit as he left. He quickly covered his mouth, freezing. He looking around, making sure that nobody had heard him.

He sighed in relief and then quickly shimmied down the tree, being extra quiet. When his feet touched the ground, he headed off through the bushes, following the same direction that Tasuki had took.

He barely made a sound as he slid through the brush. He made sure that he could always see out into the bandit compound, looking hard that glint of red that would tell him he'd found Tasuki.

He finally saw it not too far ahead of him. He watched as Kouji and Tasuki entered one of the buildings. He was a bit frustrated that he couldn't follow them in…

__

Wait a minute! What am I talking about?

Chichiri looked around and saw a bandit walking the same way that Kouji and Tasuki had been. He looked younger than some of the other bandits, more Tasuki and Kouji's own age.

The bandit had short blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He wore a dark green short-sleeved tunic that was covered half-way by a brown cloth that draped down over his right shoulder, connecting to his shorts that were the same color. He wore a large pair of boots, almost too big for his feet. He carried a short sword with him that hung from his belt at his waist.

__

Perfect! Chichiri edged forward out of the brush just enough so that he could fully see the bandit. He brought his hands together up near his face, concentrating on the young bandit.

Seripa was walking along, minding his own business. He was glad now that the boss was back, not that he didn't like Kouji. It was just… everything felt normal again, like it should be.

Besides, Genrou always let him come on the raids with them, insisting that he needed experience. He loved going on the raids. He felt like he was actually _doing_ something besides sitting around in his bunk twiddling his thumbs. He hated it when the other bandits treated him like a little kid.

Suddenly, he heard a rustle in the bushes beside him. He turned around, pulling the sword out from his belt. 

"W… who's there?" He winced as his voice let out a slight warble. He couldn't let the enemy know that he was scared.

A figure walked out from the bushes. "W… what the hell!?!"

It was… _him!!_ It was exactly like him in every way, from the hair down to the boots that were slightly too big for him.

"Who are you?" he said, trying to make sense of this new predicament. 

The other person didn't say anything, but jumped out, gripping Seripa from behind his back. He tried lashing out at the person, but his arms were held tightly.

He felt himself being dragged far behind into the brush. He tried to escape, tried wiggling out of this person's grasp, but to no avail.

The likeness of him pushed him up against one of the trees that lined their stronghold and produced a long rope from behind him. Quickly, he tied him up, making sure it was tight enough that he wouldn't be able to escape. He then pulled out a white cloth, tying it around his mouth so that all he could produce were muffles.

Chichiri, now acting as Seripa, walked calmly out of the bushes. _Whew… that wasn't too hard. Now… which building did Tasuki go in?_

He quickly recognized the building and began walking towards it. He was nervous at first, sure that _somebody_ would be able to tell that he wasn't quite Seripa, but then he got used to it.

When he reached the building, he pushed his hand on the door, watching as it opened up into the darker room. His feet made soft clicks on the wooden floor as he walked down the hall, peering into each room.

It seemed to be a cafiteria of sorts, all the rooms were connected. There were a lot of people bustling about, so he figured it must be meal time.

__

Try to act casual. You're supposed_ to be here, no da. You're that bandit now. _Even with his reassurances, he felt very small and out of place in the room full of bandits. 

He saw a long line up near the back of the room, and decided that it must be where the food was. He suddenly realized that he hadn't eaten anything since yesterday, and that wasn't much even. His stomach gave a growl.

He wandered up to what looked like the end of the line and situated himself. He folded his hands behind his back, trying to act like he did this everyday.

His eyes opened wide when he felt a hand land on his shoulder. A rough voice came from behind him, menacing. "Hey punk, whatcha' think you're doin'?"


	9. Chapter 9

****

Running Away

Chapter 9

Chichiri stopped short where he was standing, dreading the sound of the voice that came from behind him. The hair on the back of his neck stood up straight.

He turned slowly around, coming face to face with the other man. "M…me?"

"Yeah you, dumb-ass. Who else'd I be talkin' to?" He was a large man, his arms built up with muscles. He wore a slick-black tunic that he left open in the front, only coming together at the red belt that barely went around his waist.

He had a couple of friends with him too, though neither quite as fearsome as the leader.

"I…I didn't do anything." Chichiri tried to look as innocent as he could, hoping that his nervousness didn't show.

"What are you _talkin'_ about?! You stepped right in front of me an' my bros in line, ain't that right?"

His two followers nodded, sending a smirking glance towards Chichiri.

"And you know what happens to little smart-ass pricks that think they own the world, dontcha'?"

Chichiri's eyes opened wide as the leader rose his fist up in the air, preparing to pummel it down on Chichiri's thin frame. He brought his hands up to cover his head, shrinking back away from the blow.

He closed his eyes, bracing himself. 

He heard the sound of fist smacking hand, and weakly raised his head to see what had happened.

"What's goin' on here, boys? Do we got a problem?"

"B..boss! No, course not. There ain't no problem!" The man and his two followers cowered slightly in Tasuki's prescence as Tasuki pushed the man's hand back. 

"Hey, ain't this supposed ta' be a place where everybody's a family? Don't we respect everyone?"

"Y..yeah… I guess…." The man hung his head.

"Well I _guess_ you'll just have to head on outside until you can learn how ta' treat another person, kay?"

"But… boss! We don't get no food-?"

Tasuki merely pointed towards the door to the building, and Chichiri watched as the three men begrudgedly shuffled out, making no more complaints.

Tasuki let out a sigh of relief as the men left, and then turned his attention to Chichiri.

"Hey, Ser-chan! Was wonderin' where ya'd been!" He kneeled down in front of Chichiri, now eye-level. "How's my favorite little thief?"

Chichiri seemed almost paralyzed by Tasuki's gaze. He felt a blush spread across his face, and the only thing he could get out of his mouth was a stammer or two.

Tasuki looked at the younger boy worridly. "You kay, Ser-chan?" He reached forward, laying the back of his hand of Chichiri's forehead.

Of course, this only worsened Chichiri's blushing fit, and he felt his legs go out from under him. He went down on the floor hard, and he felt a strong ache spread through his backside.

Tasuki jerked forward at Chichiri's fall. "Geez, what's wrong?" He slid his hands under Chichiri's body, picking the smaller boy up. But… maybe he got just a little to close to Chichiri's more… _sensitive_ parts than he meant to.

"DAAAA!!!" Chichiri jumped out of Tasuki's arms, standing back in an upright position.

Tasuki looked at Chichiri with a _very_ strange look on his face. "… da?"

Chichiri realized his mistake with a start. "DAAEEEeddd! He's dead! My pet cricket!!" He tried putting the saddest look on his face that he could. _That's it… that's it… act natural…_

Tasuki sweat-dropped, bringing his hand up behind his head. "Your pet… cricket?"

"His name was…" Chichiri panicked for a moment. "Jumpy!" He cringed, realizing how _extremely_ stupid the name sounded.

"Okaaay!!! Well then… why don't we get somethin' ta' eat, kay?"

Chichiri nodded, walking back over to where Tasuki stood, fully taking in the opportunity to be close to the bandit. _Who cares if he doesn't know it's me. It feels good just being close to him again._

As Tasuki and Chichiri walked up to the line, all the other bandits moved out of the way, allowing Tasuki to get to the front of the line right away. Chichiri was wondering for a second if he should follow or not, but quickly surged ahead as Tasuki grabbed hold of his hand.

"Comin' through, comin' through." Tasuki called out happily, until they finally reached the front of the line. 

Chichiri picked up a tray and greedily piled on loads of the food, realizing once again that he was starving. That moment of shock a couple of minutes ago had taken his mind off food, but now that it was over the usual growl sounded in his stomach.

When his tray was full, he followed Tasuki to the table that he was sharing with Kouji. With his feet, he pulled the chair away from the table and sat down in it, pushing it up as close to Tasuki as he could without making it _look_ like he was trying to get close.

"Hey, Seripa." Kouji gave him a slight wave as he commenced eating his helpings of food. Boy, it tasted good. Better than the palace food, at least…

"So, what do ya' plan on doin' now that your back, eh Gen-chan?"

"Well… I'm not sure." Tasuki said, leaning back in his chair. He looked around the room, studying the faces of his fellow bandits. "Guess I'll just do whatever it is that needs ta' be done."

"We've been anxious for a good raid for a while now, I guess now one supplies the excitement on raids like you do!" Tasuki sweat-dropped as Kouji let out a small laugh.

Tasuki looked over at Chichiri who was now fully engrossed in his food. "You gonna' want ta' go with us, Ser-chan?"

"Hmmm…?" Chichiri looked up, realizing now that Tasuki had addressed him. "Oh… I don't know. I'll probably sit this one out."

Now _this_ brought a strange expression to Tasuki's face. "But… I thought you were always _beggin'_ me ta' let you go on the raids."

Chichiri's eyes opened wide in surprise. _Damn… I've got to be more careful. I don't know anything about "Seripa's" personality… so…_

"I just… ah… you know… I'm still a little depressed over Jumpy, you know?"

Tasuki balanced his elbows on the table, looking hard at Chichiri. Finally, he answered. "Okay, whatever. You just tell me when you want ta' get started again, kay?"

Chichiri nodded vigorously, wanting to look more like the hyper little boy he was portraying.

Suddenly, it seemed that a bunch of men had surrounded their table. Chichiri looked up, looking at the staring faces. Tasuki stood up, a big smile on his face.

"Come on, it's time for a party, eh? Now we're all back tagethe'!" 

There was a cheer from among the group of men, and glasses could be heard clinking together.

"Bring on the saké!"

"Let's go everyone!"  


"We need music!"

Everybody was doing something, from pouring drinks to forming their own make-shift band. Erherm… not that it really _sounded_ like a band, but anyway, that's beside the point.

"Eh, Ser-chan. Why dontcha' have a little booze, eh?" Tasuki handed Chichiri a large mug full of some weird beverage that Chichiri didn't quite recognize. He shrugged, though, accepting that "Seripa" would probably have drunken it.

It tasted horrible, that was all he could say. He felt like he was going to faint, with the heat rising steadily in the room and his head spinning with this new wave of adrenaline. He smiled happily, though, gulping down the rest of the drink.

"That's the spirit!" Tasuki patted him hard on the back before taking a swig from his own bottle of spirits. "We'll party all night!"

There were heated arguments, swirling lights, everybody dancing… talking… drinking… Chichiri had never been to anything like this, but he realized that it was actually _fun_. 

He walked over to where Tasuki was surorunded by a bunch of guys who were all asking him questions about things he'd been doing.

"So boss, why'dya finally decided to come back?"

"Well, I figured that Kouji over here'd probably had enough a' bein' leader, 'sides, I never know what kind o' trouble you guys are getting' in."

"Aw boss, you don't give us enough credit."

Everybody laughed. A bottle of more booze was passed around and everybody greedily filled up their cups.

"What were ya' doin' that whole time you were away, boss?"

Tasuki turned towards the person who had asked the question. "… well… I was just, travelin' around, you know. Nothing really interesting…"

"I thought you were travelin' with that one guy?"

"Yeah, another one of those seishi-thingys or somethin'. Haha… bunch a' shit if ya' ask me."

"Quite… it's a good thing the boss finally wisened up and came back. Stupid bastard had no right takin' the boss 'way from us, right?"

Chichiri noticed as Tasuki's head turned towards the ground, his eyes darkened. His hands were gripped tightly on the arms of his chair. 

"Hey guys? I think… I think I'm gonna' take a quick time out in my room for a bit, okay?"

None of the guys seemed to mind, so it must not have been a rare occurace. Either that or they all figured the boss needed some "breaking-in".

Tasuki hurried out of the building as fast as he could. Chichiri, worried about the bandit, followed silently behind. After seeing him walk quickly away from the group he'd been talking with, Chichiri wondered what they _had _been talking about…

Tasuki breathed a sigh of relief as he walked out into the open air. He glanced around, making sure that no one was there, and then knelt down slowly on the ground.

He felt one tear after another slowly travel down his face, and he quickly covered his face in his hands. His shoulders began to rock up and down as he cried harder.

"Chichiri…" His voice was barely above a whisper. "Chichiri… oh Gods I miss you… I'm so… I'm so sorry…"

Chichiri walked slowly out behind Tasuki, being careful not to make a sound. He winced when he foot came in contact with a twig. Though it barely made any noise as it snapped, the noise seemed magnified out in the still air.

Tasuki turned quickly around after hearing the snap. "Seripa…!" He quickly wiped the tears out of his eyes, coming to a stand. He tried to get himself composed, tried to look like nothing had happened.

"Tasuki… are you okay?" 

"Yeah, yeah… I'm fine. I just… I think I had a little too much to drink is all. I'm gonna', gonna' go to my room now." 

Tasuki turned quickly on his heels, walking in the direction of the building he stayed in. Chichiri watched him go, longing to go with him, longing to show Tasuki who he really was, longing to hold Tasuki in his arms and tell him everything would be alright… 


	10. Chapter 10

****

Running Away

Chapter 10

Kouji was walking across the bandit compound, refreshed after last night's partying. It felt great to have Genrou back. Not only because he was the leader but because… Kouji had a bit of an attraction towards the fiery-haired man.

Kouji grinned to himself. He'd been wanting to tell Genrou about it for some time, but he could never get the courage up enough to tell him. He figured that it would come out sometime, and he didn't try to push it too much when Genrou was around.

He was about to enter the mess hall when he heard a rustle in the bushes. A small voice could be heard coming out of the trees.

"Hmm…?" He walked closer, inspecting the bushes, and then walked through them into the forest that surrounded the compound.

He followed the voice, going a little deeper into the forest as he went. Finally, he came in sight of the source fo the noise.

"Se.. Seripa!!" He ran forward to the bound boy, gazing in wonder. Hadn't he just seen Seripa a few minutes ago? How did… when did…

Questions raced through his head and at first he didn't know what to do. A hard kick from Seripa brought him back from his thoughts.

"Yeouch! What the hell wazzat for?" He bent down, taking his sore knee in his hands.

Seripa let out something that Kouji couldn't make out from the cloth that was tied aroudn his mouth. He stood up and reached behind Seripa's head, untying the cloth.

Seripa gulped for fresh air, thankfully free from the tortures of the dirty rag. "Geez! Took you guys long enough to find me. I figured you'd have all kinds of people lookin' for me!"

Kouji stood, puzzled. "But… but… you were just fine a few minutes ago. You were talkin' with Genrou and I back in the bunkhouses."

Seripa's eyes opened wide. "It's _him_ then! The one that tied me up! He looked _exactly _like me!!"

Now Kouji was even more confused. "So now there's _two_ of ya'?" He scratched his head, looking down at the younger boy.

"You see, I was just walkin' along, mindin' my own business, when suddenly I'm attacked by… I swear it, it's like my exact look-alike or somethin'. He tied me up here."

"How long ago was that?"

"Well how the hell am _I_ supposed ta' know? I'm the one who's been tied to the tree!!" Seripa started kicking out his legs. "Untie me, will ya'?"

Kouji nodded and went around to the back of the tree, untying Seripa.

****

The pile of money next to Chichiri was growing _quite_ large. The four men facing him were sweating, unnerved to be beaten by this young boy.

"_Geez_ Seripa! You're becomin' quite the gambler, aren't ya'?"

Chichiri laughed, facing Tasuki. "I dunno', this really is my first time betting any kind of money."

He set down his last three cards on the table in triumph, staring the other four players eye-to-eye. "Rummy!!"

There was a loud groan as Chichiri happily scooted the pile of money in his direction. Tasuki patted Chichiri on the back, _hard._

"Oi…" 

"I'm not gonna' play anymore if I always lose." One of the men got up from the table and walked over to his bunk on the other side of the room.

Tauski looked after the man with an angry look on his face. "Aw… who cares. Who needs a spoilsport? Now let's make some more moolah!" 

Tasuki happily rubbed his hands together, staring down at the deck of cards in the middle of the table. _He_ wasn't playing of course, but that didn't mean that he and Seripa couldn't split the winnings. He _was_ the boss after all.

Chichiri picked up the cards, preparing to shuffle and deal them once again. All of a sudden, the door to the bunkhouse opened with a slam.

Kouji entered the room, followed by a group of other men. He walked forward and picked up Chichiri by the collar of his shirt, lifting the smaller boy right out of his seat.

Tasuki stood straight up. "Kouji! What the fuck are ya' doin'?!" He rushed forward, grabbing Chichiri out of Kouji's grip and holding him protectively against his chest. 

Chichiri felt a strong blush spread across his face. He felt Tasuki's arms around him, felt the cloth of his jacket, could hear his heartbeat… 

"Give 'im back, Genrou. You don't know who the hell he is!"

"And why wouldn't I know one of my own guys, huh? 'Course I know who he is!!" Tasuki held Chichiri tighter against his body as Kouji jerked forward once again. 

"So… you know who he is, huh? Well then, who am _I?!_" 

Tasuki looked up at the new voice that thundered above the other commotion. He watched as another figure entered the room behind Kouji. 

"Wha-… what the _hell!?!_" It was Seripa, standing there, hands across his chest.

Tasuki looked from this new Seripa to the one he held in his arms and back again, his brain in a whirl. "What in God's name…?"

The new Seripa charged forward, pointing a finger accusingly at Chichiri. "This one's a fraud! He attacked me from behind and tied me up to one of the trees out back. Hmph... how low can ya' get, playin' as someone else like that?"

Tasuki knelt down to Chichiri's height and looked into his face, trying to find the answer to this new problem that was set in front of him. 

"What's the point in tryin' ta' figure out why, come on, let's kill 'im!" 

The real Seripa charged forward, taking his sword from his belt. Using all of the expertise he could muster from his many practice sessions, he sliced the sword across Chichiri's arm. 

The force of the blow sent Chichiri sprawling across the room. Blood now ran freely from the wound in his arm. He lay there at an odd angle, trying to get up.

He could see everyone watching him, ready to attack. He could sense that the spell wasn't going to last much longer…

Tasuki stepped in front of Chichiri. "Come on, guys. Let's find out what this is all about, first. I mean, we don't know what he wants!"

"Who cares! How dare he prance around pretending to be me!" Seripa tried to go at Chichiri again, but Tasuki stuck his hand out, stopping him. 

"Seripa… think about it. Why don't we just let him talk." Tasuki tried to calm down the enraged boy.

Seripa's eyes opened wide as he looked down at the fake Seripa. He… changed! Now, instead of looking like him, his hair had turned blue, and he was wearing a long blue cloth around his shoulders.

Seripa pointed to this new person who sat on the floor of the bunkhouse, stammering. "He… he changed!!"

Tasuki and everyone else quickly turned to see what it was, but there wasn't anything there. Where the other Seripa had been there now was nothing.

Tasuki ran over to the spot, looking around. He ran his hands over the rough wood, looking for any signs of where the other Seripa might have gone. He finally sighed, shaking his head.

"He must have teleported…"

He slowly stood up, his eyes not leaving the spot. He heard the sounds of the other men talking, leaving the room. He heard Seripa and Kouji come up next to him.

"What's up, Gen-chan?" Kouji looked at his comrade worridly. "He was just a fake, I mean, if he got away, so what! At least now he'll know never to come back _here_ again." He tried to sound happy, tried to lighten up the other man, but it didn't seem to work.

"You should be happy now!" Seripa said, gently touching the sleeve of Tasuki's jacket. 

"It's… it's nothing. I'm just, you know…" Tasuki looked up, trying to smile at the other two bandits. "Why don't we go eat something?"

"…Sure, sounds good to me. Let's head over to the mess hall." Kouji started to turn for the door. "You comin', Gen-chan?"

"Yeah, just give me a minute, kay? I'll be right there." He gestured that the other two should leave, and soon he was all alone in the empty bunkhouse.

He turned back to the spot where the other Seripa had been, taking in all of the features. He brought his arms arms up, gently touching the sides of his hands and arms… _I touched him. I held him… right _here_…_ He wrapped his arms around himself, wanting to feel it again, wanting to feel the warmth from the other body that had just a second ago been held in his own arms.

"Chi…Chichiri…"


	11. Chapter 11

****

Running Away

Chapter 11

"I_tai!!_' Chichiri winced, letting out a bit of a cry as his hand came in contact with the wound in his shoulder. It was still bleeding a bit, and the cloth of his left sleeve was drenched in blood.

He sat back a ways in the forest surrounding the bandit compound, well out of sight and hearing of anyone who might be looking for him.

He sighed, looking around. He remembered the scene back in the bunkhouse. It had definitely _not_ gone the way he would have liked it to.

Damn, if only he'd have been a bit smarter. He should have _known_ the someone would find the real Seripa. It was too easy, all too easy. He cursed himself again, thinking of how stupid he had been.

But then again, it had felt so wonderful to feel Tasuki hold him that way. Sure, he was being Seripa at the time, and sure, Tasuki was trying to protect him from what _he_ thought was an out-of-his-mind Kouji…

Still… he wished that he could feel it again. Feel those strong arms around him, holding him. He wished he could feel that in a bit of a different circumstance, a different setting. Wished that he could look up into Tasuki's eyes without going all red and start stuttering, to be able to say what he really wanted to say.

He turned back to the task at hand, his arm. It had hurt like hell, he admitted it, but he wasn't going to let that stop him from being close to Tasuki. He'd be an idiot to let that stop him now, when he had gotten so close. 

Maybe… sometime… if he got some time when Tasuki was all alone, he could come out, could talk things out with him. But no, the security would probably be even tighter now after getting caught by Seripa and the others. 

After hearing Tasuki last night, seeing him crying like that, Chichiri had begun to wonder if perhaps getting back together would be _better_ for both of them, even if it was only as friends. Right now, Chichiri didn't care about anything other than being with the other seishi again.

Chichiri gently tore off a section of his other sleeve, fingering the soft fabric in his hands. He wished…. He wished…. He wished that he could go back to that day, the day Tasuki had run away. Perhaps if he had gone after him, stopped him, maybe things would have turned out differently.

But no, he had to sit there like the dumb idiot he was and let the one he loved slip through his fingertips. Tears began to spring to his eyes as he remembered the expression on Tasuki's face, the tears that had fallen freely from his eyes…

Chichiri shook away the memory, wiping the newly formed tears from his eye. He took the piece of fabric that he had torn off and gently began to wrap it around the wound in his shoulder. He winced as small jolts of pain ran up through his arm.

When the make-shift bandage was completed, he tried stretching out his arm. He moved it around a bit, feeling the dull ache in his arm stretch out and across his shoulder as well. It wouldn't take too long for the blood to soak through the primative bandage, but at least it would provide him with a _little_ something.

He looked up into the sky, at the tiny pinpricks of light that were stars appearing as the sun slowly set. Pretty soon, it would be dark, and Chichiri didn't really want to spend the night out in the forest alone. He decided to go back to the compound, though he'd have to be careful.

He picked up his staff using his good arm, and began the walk that would lead him back to civilization. He began to see lights coming through the trees, and was glad, because the sky was getting ever darker.

He quickly climbed up one of the trees, being extra lenient on his left arm, and then positioned himself in a position where he could see the bandit compound as a whole. He looked around, covering every last corner. 

If there was one good thing that had come out of his experience as Seripa, it was the fact that he now knew where Tasuki slept, so he wouldn't have to go on wild hunt, peeking in people's windows.

He quickly located the building that he knew by heart now, the cafiteria. His eye wandered a little to the left until it hit the small building right next to the cafiteria: Tasuki's bedroom. Well, it wasn't _entirely_ Tasuki's bedroom. Kouji shared it with him.

He smiled to himself, and then hopped out of the tree, landing deftly on his feet. He knelft down, being careful to stay out of sight. The darkness of the night would aid him now, but he didn't want to get caught again. He didn't want to face Tasuki until he knew that he was ready, _and_ when he was sure they had some time completely alone.

He quickly half-crawled through the bushes until his head popped out of one right next to his destination. He looked around, making sure that there wasn't anyone there. 

While he was looking, he noticed a very conveniently-placed tree. It just happened to be positioned very close to a window in Tasuki's bedroom, but it was still far enough away that a person looking out wouldn't be able to see him unless they looked _really _hard.

He walked the couple of paces to the tree and then slowly climbed up, thankful for the branches that were layed out close together near the bottom. He climbed until he was just about even with the window he had seen earlier, and then sat back, trying to get comfortable.

Because it was night, and because there was a bright light coming from the window, he could see in as if it were daylight, which was another advantage to it being night, by the way. 

Chichiri peered into the window, seeing if anyone was there yet. Unfortunately, it was still relatively early, and the room was empty. He sighed, leaning his back against the trunk of the tree.

While he was waiting, he reinforced the bandage he had made with another piece of fabric. He figured that he needed to because blood from the cloth was starting to get onto the branch, and that can never be a good sign.

He winced, but was able to keep quiet. One time during the process he had heard a rustling from not too far away, and for a second he had feared he had been caught, but it turned out to just be a bird, looking for things to build her nest out of.

It was about ten minutes later when he heard the faint sound of footsteps heading in his general direction. He lifted his feet up to make sure that they weren't visible, and then became as quiet as he absolutely could.

He watched through the darkness as Tasuki and Kouji slowly walked towards the room. His face lit up, seeing the bandit's face. 

They were talking, but Chichiri wasn't close enough to hear what about. All he could do was watch as the pair walked up to the door, and then walked in. He anxiously turned his eye towards the window, knowing that any minute now he would be able to see them in it.

He watched as Tasuki entered the room, reaching his hands up in the air for a quick stretch. He couldn't help but notice the depressed look on the bandit's face, but he figured he was just tired or something.

Kouji soon followed Tasuki into the room, and the two of them sat down on their beds. They were talking. Well, Chichiri at least _thought_ they were talking. Frustratingly, he couldn't hear a thing that was being said. It was like watching one of those old movies that didn't have any sound.

They talked for around five minutes, give or take a few, and then Tasuki stood up, walking over to the other side of the room. He slid off his jacket and set it on one of the chairs. He sat down, then, and quickly unlaced his boots, setting them next to the chair. 

He groggily stood back up as Kouji came over, doing the same. Tasuki walked back over to his bed, sitting back down. He brought his knees up to his chin, wrapping his arms around them. He buried his face down into the fabric of his pants.

Chichiri watched as Kouji came over to him, gently resting his hand on Tasuki's shoulder. He watched as Kouji mouthed out some words, watched as Tasuki looked up at him.

Kouji held out his hand, as if gesturing towards his bed. Chichiri leaned forward, _wishing_ that he could hear what they were saying. Tasuki slowly shook his head, shaking his hand as if refusing something.

"DAAA!!!" Chichiri cried out as he fell from the tree. In trying to hear them, he had accidently leaned a little bit _too_ far forward, teetering off balance. He felt another sharp pain in his arm as he felt the ground rise up to meet him. 

He gave a small groan, getting up to his knees. He wasn't sure if the two bandits had heard him. If they hadn't heard the big rustle in the bushes then they had _surely_ heard his loud scream. He prayed to Suzaku that if they _had_ heard it, they would just consider it as nothing.

He watched the light from the window intently, but thankfully, no one was looking out it, and no one was coming from the door either. He sighed, and then sheepishly looked up at the tree he had fallen from.

He rose to his feet, determined to watch Tasuki until it wasn't possible anymore. He walked back over to the tree and climbed back up, looking over his shoulder every once in a while to make sure that nobody was watching him.

When he had once again regained his earlier position, his gaze went directly to the window. Both bandits were looking at the window as well, and for a second he feared that they had seen him. 

Luckily, they must only have heard him, for they stayed where they were, neither of them rushing for the door. Chichiri watched as Tasuki turned his head towards Kouji, mouthing something.

Kouji just shrugged, then walked over to his bed, pulling the covers back. Tasuki turned around to his bed as well and slid down beneath the covers. He head sunk down deeply in the pillow he was lying on.

He raised his hand, gesturing that Kouji should turn out the lights, and then pulled the covers up to his chin, turning over on his side. Kouji reached over, taking the damper and resting it up over the candle. 

Chichiri sat staring at the pitch dark room. He couldn't see anything in it, and now the light that had guided him safely and silently through the trees and bushes was gone. He sighed in frustration.

All of a sudden, a thought struck his head. If both of them were asleep, then couldn't he get a little closer? Maybe he could just go up to the window…

He slid down the tree before he had even made up his mind and began the short trek to building that he had been looking into only minutes before. He look up to the window as he stood below it.

It was only about a head or two higher than he was, and this was made better by the fact that there was a large railing traveling around the perimter of the house that he could stand on.

He swifly climbed up on the railing, percariously balancing himself on the top. He took the frame of the window in his hands to help balance him more.

When he was sure that he wouldn't fall, he looked into the room. It was still just as dark, but now that his eye had grown more accustomed to the light, he could see a lot more.

He looked over to Tasuki's bed. He could make out the bandit's red hair through the darkness, could see the lump in the covers that was his body. He felt a small lump appear in his throat as he looked at the man. His needs to be close to Tasuki seemed only to increase whenever he saw him.

"Chi…Chichiri…"

Chichiri looked up, startled. The voice had come from Tasuki… but… Tasuki was still in the same position he had always been in. Was he dreaming?

"Chichiri… stay with me… please… I'm sorry, so… sorry…"

Chichiri's heart constricted, hearing these words coming from the other man. He felt tears start to form in his eye. He longed to reach out, to touch, to comfort him, but he daren't with Kouji in the room. Who knew what he might think?

"I… I love you…Chichiri…"

Chichiri stared into the darkened room, staring at the lump in the bed. "I love you too… Tasuki…" his voice was the softest whisper. He could barely even hear himself. _And I'll never leave you._


	12. Chapter 12

****

Running Away

Chapter 12

The sun was beating down hard the rooves of the many buildings making up the bandit complex. It was near midday, and the heat was still rising. Bandits walked around, reaching into their pockets to pull out a cloth and then wiping their foreheads with it.

Chichiri groggily opened his eyes. He'd spent the entire night in the tree, and he now had terrible cramps throughout his body. He gave a groan as he positioned himself into a sitting position.

He looked out across the compound, squinting. The sun was too bright for his eye, and it was hard to even open it. He sighed, waiting for his vision to become accustomed to this new light.

As things began to come into focus, he resumed his search for the bandit he was looking for. He looked into the window he had been looking in last night, but both beds were now neatly made, and there was no sign of the fiery-haired bandit.

He quickly scanned the perimeter, but still seeing no sign, he climbed down from his perch atop the tree. He kneeled down amongst the bushes, and then headed off the short distance to the cafiteria. 

He found a window in the side that led directly into it, and he looked inside. Anxiously, searched the entire building, but he was frustrated once more when Tasuki wasn't _there_ either.

There was, however, a group of men eating not far from the window, and Chichiri couldn't help but overhear their conversation.

"So… where'd the boss go? I saw him leaving as I was walkin' over 'ere."

One of the other bandits turned towards the one who had talked. "Like hell any of us know, we're never told these things."

"He was probably goin' to the village or somethin'… but hey, who knows? They're always wanderin' off by themselves and other shit like that."

Chichiri's ears perked up, hearing the words that were being said. Tasuki went out, to some village maybe, but _alone?_ Who knew what kind of trouble Tasuki might get into if he was left alone like that.

"Hey guys!"

The group of men turned towards the voice at the window to see Seripa smiling back at them. "Oh! How ya' doin', Seripa?"

Chichiri leaned his arms on the windowsill, moving his head forward into the room a little bit. "I was just wonderin', did any of you see the way Ta-, I mean Genrou went? I was just talkin' with Kouji and he wanted me to go with him…"

The men kind of looked at each other, and for a second Chichiri was afraid that something was wrong. 

"He went out the north gate, I think…"

"Yeah, the north gate. He must be goin' into the village or somethin'. He just left about five minutes ago, so you should easily be able to catch up."

"Whew! Thanks a lot. I was worried for a bit." Chichiri waved after the men, putting on his best smile, and then ran off in the direction of the north gate.

When he was safely back into the forest, he changed back to his "Chichiri" form. He sighed, sitting down on the ground and catching his breath.

He looked in the direction where he knew the north gate was. He knew he didn't need to actually walk out of there, too slow, so looked outwards more, away from the camp. He tried to estimate how far Tasuki would have gotten by now.

__

Probably not very far, the way Tasuki walks. He stops just about every 10 minutes. Chichiri smiled at the recollection, but it also saddened him. They'd been so happy then…

Chichiri shook away the memories, and then pulled off his kesa, spreading it out on the ground in front of him. Holding his hands up near his face, he uttered a small spell, and then jumped into the middle, pulling the cloth back with him.

"DAA!" he fell face forward into a small group of bushes. He groaned, slowly pulling himself to his feet. 

He checked around, making sure that no one was there, and then fastened his kesa back around his shoulder. When he was satisfied that it was back on securly, he took the liberty of finding Tasuki.

He tried to think if Tasuki would be ahead of him or behind him by now… but he didn't really have a clue. It all depended on how fast Tasuki had chosen to walk.

He was about to step out onto the road when he heard footsteps from his left. Quickly, he ducked back into the bushes, making sure that he was completely hidden. He watched as the owner of the footsteps wearily stepped into view.

"Aw fuck this stupid trip. Why'd Kouji make me go?" Chichiri felt a smile come to his face as he saw Tasuki walk along the road. Trust Tasuki to walk as slow as possible.

Tasuki was having a very hard time keeping his pace up, as he was so tired he could have just gone to sleep on the road. He had kept waking up last night… the same reoccuring dream…

He shook that thought out of his mind, trying to concentrate on the matter at hand. He was _supposed_ to head into the village to get something… what was it? Kouji had written it down on a piece of paper for him before he'd left, which was a good thing because Tasuki would have forgotten it by now.

He sighed, deciding to wait until he actually made it there before checking to see what it was again. He didn't know why Kouji had sent _him _out of everybody else to go, but he figured he _did_ kind of need some time to himself now…

Chichiri was debating whether to come out of the bushes. Now was the perfect time. They were both alone, they had a lot of time to talk… they could get this whole thing straightened out… somehow…

He moved aside the leaves of the bush he was hiding in, and was just about to step out onto the road, when all of a sudden, Tasuki stopped. Chichiri looked up at him, wondering what had caused the bandit to be so surprised.

There was a group of men standing up a ways on the path. They were just kind of… standing there, as if they were waiting for something. They looked like the kind of group that had "don't mess with us" written all over them. Definitely not the kind of group you wanted to run into while you were alone.

Chichiri shrunk back into the bushes and began to crawl forward on his stomach. If Tasuki was just smart enough, then he would walk through the forest, avoiding the group and going around. _If_ he was smart enough…

Chichiri winced, hearing Tasuki's voice talking to the group. What was he saying? Chichiri got up on his knees looking through the bushes. He had gone a little farther than he had thought he would, but at least he was within hearing distance.

He watched as the members of the group, some of them sitting, kneeling, standing, stood up and began to walk towards Tasuki. 

"What the hell are you doin'?" Tasuki was starting to get scared now. Maybe he should have just avoided this altogether. "If you're thinkin' of robbin' me, I'm sorry. I ain't got _nothin'_ on me. Check for yourself!" He pulled the insides of his pockets out just to prove his point. "So ya' see… ya' see…" 

The group stared menacingly at him, their eyes boring into his.

"Hehe… looks like we got lucky this time, boss."

"Yeah, I'm really gonna' enjoy _this _one."

The group was starting to form a circle around Tasuki as they moved in closer. Tasuki reached back, taking his tessen in his hand. If he had to fight, then he'd fight.

"I'm warning you… get away from me!" 

One of the men charged towards him, and Tasuki lifted his tessen up, aiming it at the man. "Rekka shinen!" A burst of flames sprung out from it, engulfing the man. 

Though this attack definitely drew off that one man, the rest seemed unfazed, and they all began to charge at Tasuki. He turned around, trying to fend them off, but there was too many of them. 

He felt a kick come into his stomach and he wrapped his hands around his waist, dropping his tessen. 

The men came in, grabbing his arms and legs and pushing him down onto the ground. He struggled to get up, struggled against their heavy grasps, but they held him tightly, his back against the ground.

Chichiri watched all of this in horror, almost stuck to the spot. They were… they were going to rape him! He tried to move… tried to stop them… but could he? Could he go up against all those men? Tasuki had tried, but they had been too much. What if… what if… His mind was a whirlwind of questions, of pleas, of doubts. He had to stop them, had to save Tasuki.

The men were moving faster now that they had their prey on the ground. The ones that held his arms began pulling up his shirt, pushing back his jacket. They dove forward, taking the skin of his chest in their mouths, letting their tongues travel across his skin. 

"Chichiri!!! CHICHIRI!!!" Tasuki screamed out, tears choking him. He cried out, feeling them touch him, kiss him, felt their hands all over him. There was nothing he could do… he couldn't stop them. 

He opened his mouth to scream again but it was covered the mouth of another man, hard, pushing his head back into the gravel. He twisted his head, trying to get away, but the man only kissed harder, pushing his tongue into Tasuki's mouth.

Chichiri couldn't stop himself now, not now. He was too mad, too enraged. He charged up to the middle of the road, weilding his staff. "Leave him alone!!"

The men looked up at the sound of this new voice. If at first they look startled, they were definitely happy now. This new young man was standing there in front of them, and they were sure they could handle him, as small as he looked.

Tears were starting to run down Chichiri's face as he yelled at the men. He watched as some of them slowly began to stand up, smiles playing across their faces. 

"You bastards!!" Chichiri held his staff high up in the air, his other hand in front of his face, and sent a large burst of energy at the men. 

They cried out, feeling the energy push against them, knocking them back into the gravel. They shakily stood back up, brushing the dirt off of their clothes. Angrier now, the men charged at Chichiri.

Chichiri held out both his hands in front of him, holding the staff in them. He uttered out a longer chant, and watched as a larger burst of energy screamed out at the men. 

They were tossed aside like bowling pins falling down in a lane, landing hard on the ground. One of the men stood up, wiping a small trickle of blood away from his mouth.

"Come on guys, this ain't worth it!" The other men stood up, some slower than others, but everyone just wanting to get away. Chichiri watched as they ran, none of them looking back in fear that this new man would blast them again.

When they were all gone, Chichiri rushed forward to where Tasuki layed on the ground. He kneeled down, gently touching Tasuki's arm.

Feeling this touch, this gentle loving touch, Tasuki sat up and buried himself into Chichiri's shirt, tears falling freely from his eyes. "Chichiri… Chichiri…"

Chichiri wrapped his arms warmly around Tasuki, holding him tightly against himself. He leaned his head down, his cheek resting on Tasuki's head. "It's alright now, everything's going to be fine… you're alright now…"

Tasuki clung tightly to Chichiri's shirt, not letting go. Tears were beginning to soak the shirt, and his nose running wasn't helping anything either, but none of that mattered anymore. 

Chichiri wasn't sure how long they sat there, but soon he heard Tasuki's cries fade out, and his breathing turned slow and deep. The softest of smiles appeared on his face, and he gently ran his hand through Tasuki's hair. He'd cried himself to sleep.

Chichiri brought his hands under Tasuki's body so that he was carrying the younger man, and then slowly stood up, not wanting to disturb him. Tasuki was still clutching Chichiri's shirt in his hands, his face barely visible in the folds of it.

Chichiri walked over and kneeled down, reaching one hand out to quickly pick up the dropped tessen, and then straightened back up. He let out a small chant, and soon, the only thing there was an empty road.

****

He teleported into Tasuki's bedroom, his feet slowly coming to a halt as he landed on the floor. He looked around, glad that no one else was in there at the time. 

He walked over to Tasuki's bed, and then layed the younger man down on it. He reached up and pulled the covers down, bringing them under Tasuki's body, and then softly laying them over him.

He stood back up, looking down at Tasuki as he slept. He looked so peaceful now, so beautiful…

He reached down with is hand, slowly tracing the side of Tasuki's face with his fingers, feeling his soft skin beneath his touch. He gently pushed a lock of his hair behind his ear. 

He leaned down, moving his head in closer to the other's. Taking Tasuki's head softly in his hands, he bent forward, gently letting his lips touch his. They were barely touching, just a soft kiss, but it felt so wonderful. 

Chichiri straightened back up a bit, looking into Tasuki's face. "Chi…Chichiri…" Tasuki moved his hand forward as if trying to pull the monk back down, but then settled back into the soft covers.

"Wo ai ni… watashi no tenshi…" He reached forward, letting his hand gently fall on Tasuki's. He felt his soft skin beneath his fingers, felt the warmth in his body that he wished he could keep forever…

Chichiri jerked up as the door to the bedroom slammed open. His eyes darted to the person that walked in.

Kouji was in a hurry, he rushed into his bedroom, preparing to get what he needed and then leave. He opened the door and quickly walked in, but then stopped at the sight that he saw.

"Seripa… what are you doin' in my room?"

Chichiri gestured down towards Tasuki, lying in the bed. "I found him outside on the doorstep and took him in. I… I don't know what's wrong."

Kouji's eyes flew over to Tasuki, and then he ran forward, kneeling down beside his bed. He took Tasuki's hand in his, looking into his face.

Chichiri just stepped back into the corner, watching with a sad look on his face.


	13. Chapter 13

****

Running Away

Chapter 13

It had been a week since it happened. He hadn't told anybody what had _really_ happened… just said that some guys had attacked him…

He couldn't remember that much about it either, at least, after the men had attacked him. He could still remember how it felt… the rancid taste of the other man's mouth on his… but, how had he gotten away? He knew… knew that someone had saved him. He tried to remember the face, the voice, but it was all so faint…

He shrugged it off, returning back to the present. He looked around and noticed the many faces that were staring at him. _Oh great, did I space off _again_ in the middle of talking to them? They're gonna' think I'm really sick or somethin'…_

"Hehe… what did you say?" Tasuki tried laughing it off.

The other men just sighed, shaking their heads. "Man boss, are you okay? I mean, that has to be the sixth time today!"

"Really, I'm just fine… I have a lot on my mind is all." Tasuki tried explaining, but none of the men really seemed to believe him.

Kouji walked up to him, resting his hand on Tasuki's forehead. "Hmm… you don't have a fever or anything."

Tasuki sat back. "I _told_ you there's nothing wrong with me. I'm just… confused, you know?"

"Well, what do you expect? When Seripa found you, you were completely konked out, so who knows what happened?"

Tasuki nodded, looking down at the ground. Kouji just looked over him, a rather stern look on his face, but he didn't say anything. He _knew_ that there was something that Genrou wasn't telling him.

"Anyways… why don't you and I head on up ta' bed, eh Genrou? It'll do ya' good."

Tasuki looked up at Kouji, and then finally nodded in agreement. He let the other man help him to his feet and then with a quick wave to his fellow bandits, he followed Kouji out the door.

They walked briskly across the compound to their bedroom, as the night was beginning to become chilly. Their feet barely made any sound at all on the grass.

Kouji reached the room first, and he clicked on the light as he stepped in. He yawned, stretching his arms above his head as Tasuki joined him in the room. 

Unbeknownst to the pair, another pair of eyes was watching them.

*Outside*

"Daaa… I was _wondering_ when they were finally going to come." Chichiri sighed, looking in across the window at the two bandits. It always made him feel better to see Tasuki, even if it was from a distance.

Chichiri positioned himself in a more comfortable position and then resumed watching the two. He tried to make the most of what their actions were, since that was all he had to go by as to what they were saying.

*Back in the Room*

Tasuki sat down on his bed, pulling his boots off and giving them a toss to the other side of the room. He had gotten tired of putting them back neatly every night.

He then looked up, noticing that Kouji was staring at him.

"What are you lookin' at?" Tasuki gave him a questioning look.

Kouji crossed his arms in front of him. "I _know_ there's somethin' you're not tellin' me, Genrou. About last week…"

Tasuki immediately looked down, acting as though he had a sudden interest in his feet. "Look Kouji, really… it's nothin'… we should just forget it, kay?"

Kouji sat down beside Tasuki on the bed, still that stern look on his face. "You're not the kind to hide stuff like this, Genrou. You can tell me, you know you can…"

Tasuki looked the other way, trying to avoid his eyes. He couldn't… just couldn't…

"Genrou…"

"I'm sorry Kouji… it's just… I can't, I mean, there's no reason to anyway." Tasuki stated firmly, hoping his friend would back off.

Kouji adruptly stood up, standing right in front of Tasuki. "Sure, I find you completely out of it in your bed, then you start walkin' around like a living zombie, and _now_ you won't even tell me what happened! _That's_ no reason to talk about it, huh? _Genrou!"_

Tasuki looked up angry, tears starting to form in his eyes. "Okay fine! I was almost raped by these bunch of guys, is _that_ what you wanted to hear?!" Tasuki flung himself down on his bed, tears now pouring freely from his eyes.

All the fire left Kouji's face as he looked down at Tasuki, taking in the words he had just heard. "G… Genrou…"

He sat down beside Tasuki, not knowing what to say at first. I mean, what _do_ you say after you learn something like that? 

"Genrou, it's… it's okay…" He brought his hand gently to touch Tasuki's back, which was still shuddering from his outburst. He softly began to rub it back and forth, trying to reassure the other man.

"Genrou… look at me." 

Tasuki turned around so he was lying on his back and wiped the tears out of his eyes. He looked up at Kouji, who looked at him with a smile.

Kouji gently leaned in closer to Tasuki, bringing his hand up to the side of Tasuki's face. "It's… everything's fine now, okay? You have nothing to be worried about… to be ashamed about…"

Tasuki's eyes opened wide as Kouji leaned in closely, bringing his lips to touch his. He felt himself being pushed back into the pillow as Kouji brought his hands around his neck.

*Outside*

Chichiri couldn't believe what he was seeing. He kept staring, and staring, not being able to look away. 

"No… no…" he whispered it over and over again, hoping that saying it would make everything better again. But no, they were still there, still there…

__

Tasuki… how… how could_ you?! You never told me… never told me, and yet… how _could_ you!?!_

Millions of questions swirled around in his mind until they all became one jumbled up mess. He felt as if his whole life had come crashing down, had been destroyed. Everything was gone now… _everything!_

Tasuki… Tasuki had meant everything to him. Tasuki had _been_ everything. But now… but now…

__

Did I ever really mean anything to him? Was he just fooling, just trying to get some fun in while he was away? Was this going on all along…?

Tasuki wouldn't do that… would he? But if he wouldn't, then what's this that I'm seeing right now? 

He closed his eyes, tears beginning to run down his face. He brought his hands up, covering his face in them. "Tasuki… why oh why… _why!?!"_

His life had just disappeared. Everything he cared for was now gone, taken away by somebody else. 

He stood up in the tree, not caring that he hit his head on a few branches, and then teleported away, far away. He didn't need to see any more.

*Back in the Room*

Kouji pushed harder against Tasuki's lips, his arms wrapped tightly around his neck. He moved his mouth, slowly pushing his tongue between his lips, feeling around the inside of his mouth.

He opened his eyes, looking into Tasuki's face, and was surprised to find small tears slowly falling out of his eyes. 

Tasuki had his eyes closed tightly, and tear-stains were starting to form across his cheeks. He was soflty wimpering, his body shaking.

Kouji moved back a little, looking worridly into Tasuki's face.

"Chi… Chichiri…"

His voice was so tiny Kouji could barely hear it, but he could recognize the name. Chichiri… the monk that had travled around with Tasuki. One of the Suzaku seven.

Kouji backed away into a sitting position, looking sadly down at the other man on the bed. 

__

No… he can't… he just can't love someone else… I, I've known him too long, loved_ him too long. This can't be happening, not now… not _ever_…_

Tears began running down his face as he clenched his the cloth of his pants tightly in his fists. He adruptly stood up, turning his head away from Tasuki.

"I… I'm sorry, Genrou!!" He didn't look back, couldn't look back. He ran out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Tasuki still lay there, tears still falling steadily from his eyes. He wrapped his arms up around his pillow, holding it tightly against himself. 

__

"Tasuki-kun, no da!! You really shouldn't sleep so long!" Tasuki smiled as he drifted off into his dream, where he knew that things would always be right.


	14. Chapter 14

****

Running Away 

Chapter 14

The room was dark, dark enough to make it difficult to see, but not so dark that you couldn't see anything. The only light came from a low-lit candle in the corner of the room that was already beginning to go out.

There was a heavy dampness in the air. It didn't help any that there weren't only windows. The only exit was the door, and that had been shut tightly, so that no one could get in.

It was deathly quiet. The only sound was the occasional drip as the tiny rivulet of water that ran along the ceiling let a small drop fall to the ground. When in this quiet too long, ears would become so adjusted to the quiet that even the tiniest sound would be loud. 

That was where he sat, in the middle of the room, surrounding by the darkness. He sat perfectly still, his eyes staring down intently at what he had sat on the floor in front of him.

The light from the candle gleamed off the silvery-polished surface of the blade as it lay there, innocent in itself, but yet laying heavy blame on its user.

His one eye was fixed on it, identifying every curve, memorizing every change in texture. His hands held the fabric of his pants tightly, his knuckles almost white. 

He shivered despite himself, and he turned his head, surveying the room that he was in, even though he had already gotten bored from its never-ending pattern of stone that made up its walls. 

"Tasuki…" his voice was so small that he could scarcely hear himself. It was more of a sigh, a deep breath, than an actual word formation, but the presence of the word itself still hung heavily in the damp room.

He closed his eyes, trying not to let the inevitable tears grace his face, but he knew that it was to no avail. How many times had he cried since then? How many minutes had gone by where hot tears still streamed down his face?

Too many to count. 

How long had it been? It had only been a few hours, a few measley hours since that one moment where Chichiri had learned the truth that had destroyed him inside. 

__

All those times that you were close to me. All those uncomfortable moments. That time… that time when both of us really started to understand what was happening…no. I didn't understand it. Now I can see that I never understood it.

"You bastard!" He punched his fist into the ground, a jolt of pain running up his arm. He didn't feel it though. It was nothing compared to the pain that was he was going through inside.

"You lied to me. You cheated me! You… how could you?" He stared down at the ground, not caring that the only one who could hear him was himself. "All along you had someone else, all along… were you just… using me?"

A fresh wave of tears started again. His voice cracked as he continued to ramble. "Was I just some little toy that you could run off with? Have some fun with? Then you could just go back, leaving me… _leaving me!!"_

He brought his knees up to his chin, wrapping his arms tightly around them. He cried deeply into his pants, the cloth becoming wet with the tears. 

It was a couple of minutes before he was finally able to stop, before no more tears would fall from his eyes. He sniffed a few times, his nose was beginning to run from the countless cries.

He wiped his eyes on his sleeve so that he could see again. He watched as everything sat there, still, silent, nothing moved, nothing made a sound. He felt like he was in a void.

He looked down at the ground next to him, at the small trails of dust that lit across the rarely used floors. He slowly lowered his hand, one finger sticking out and poked into the dust. He watched as he began to write something in the dust, not even knowing what the was writing.

"Wing…" he looked down at his creation. He remembered how pure that sign had seemed before, how much hope it had always given him. 

He stared at it, a kind of lull taking place in his mind. His mouth turned slightly down at the corners, his eyes narrowing.

He reached out his hand and quickly swiped away the sign, making sure that every last trace of it was completely gone. The only thing that sign represented now was lies, distrust, broken hearts…

He turned back to his original position, and as he did so, his eyes once again rested on the forgotten blade. The curve of its smooth surface reflected the light of the candle softly into his eye.

He reached out his hand, his fingers gently running across the surface. How cold it felt, how smooth, how… inviting…

He curved his fingers gingerly around the handle, feeling the rough of the fine leather that was wrapped around it. He ran his thumb across the fabric, feeling the small bumps that made up each individual section.

He rotated the blade in his hands, watching the way the light reflected off the silver as it slowly turned. His eye looked down in wonder. 

He brought his other hand up, sticking one finger out, he slowly ran it across the sharp edge of the blade. He drew in his breath as it sliced through the skin and instinctively jerked back.

He looked at the newly formed cut, small, barely visible. A tiny drop of blood had formed near it. The pain… it felt reassuring somehow. This wasn't what it was supposed to feel like, was it? 

He wondered… his mind traveling. He ran the smooth surface of the knife across the top of his hand, feeling the coolness of the silver, the slick surface of it sending chills down his spine.

He turned his arm so that he wrist was pointing upwards. He looked down at his wrist, so soft, so sensitive. He looked at the individual veins that he could see through the skin. He clenched and unclenched his fist, watching as the veins moved with it. 

He stuck a finger out from the hand that held a knife and slowly rubbed over the skin there. He marveled at how soft it was, how smooth, how vulnerable…

Using his hand, he slowly lifted up the sleeve that had covered his arm, folding it over itself so that it would stay. He traced his finger up from the skin to the inside of his elbow back up to his wrist, following the largest blue vein.

Would it hurt? What would it feel like? Questions were running through his mind as his finger ran softly over his arm, the knife still at a safe distance away from the sensitive skin near his wrist.

A small smirk played on his face. "Tasuki… just you wait. What will you say to this, huh? What will you… say?"

He wrapped his fingers tighter around the handle of the blade, rotating it a few times in his hand, looking at it intently. How easy that sharp blade could slice through his skin, through the thin vein that contained his life.

He slowly lowered the blade so that it was positioned directly over his wrist, centered over the small group of veins that he had studied so carefully. He watched, amazed by how steady he was holding the blade, how steady he was in this state.

__

Why should I be otherwise? What have I got to lose now? The one man I loved, the one person I truly loved, is now gone. I might have been able to take it if it was his life that was gone, if he was no longer here. I would at least know then that I would join him someday… but no. He's still here. I will never be with him. Will never hold him… stroke his hair… hear those words that I so want to hear…

One small tear threatened to glide down his face again. An image of Tasuki appeared in his mind, memories flooded through him, filling his head, his heart.

"No… he will never be mine. Never…" 

The force of the words were pushing the blade, deeper a little against his wrist. He could feel pressure against the thin folds of skin that separated his sensitive veins from the air around him.

"There's no reason… no reason…"

He moved the blade to the right of his wrist a bit, gripping it as hard as he could in his hand.

"that I have left to live…"

He closed his eye, not watching. He slid the blade across his wrist, traveling across the veins, across the skin, until he felt air again. He opened his eye again, looking at his wrist.

There was no pain, no pain at all. He looked at the deep slice that he had made, where the flaps of skin curled slightly upward now that they weren't connected.

He saw red begin to fill the gap, begin to come out, begin to run down his arm. He watched it as drops began to fall to the floor, drenching his shirt, his pants. He watched it all, calmly, emotionless.

It kept coming, it wouldn't stop. More and more just kept gushing from this new cut that he himself had inflicted. A small pool had begun to form below his arm, staining the rock beneath it.

A weird feeling began to float in his head. He felt like… felt like… He felt weak. He wanted to go to sleep, to sprawl out on the floor in front of him, close his eye…

It was as if there was no more blood, no more gaping slice in his wrist. There was nothing, everything was fine, nothing was different. He felt like he was floating through the sky, about to depart from this body.

He layed out, gently resting himself on the floor. Even the hard rock felt comfy now, a soft bed where he could sleep...

He closed his eye softly, feeling nothing, thinking nothing. His breathing began to get slower and slower, short slow breaths. 

He felt himself fall asleep, felt himself fall into the dream world that he had often taken himself to many times in the last month or so. Maybe in this world Tasuki would be there. Maybe there'd be no Kouji. Maybe this was where he was really supposed to be…

The room was silent once more. His breaths could barely be heard, even in the heavy, quiet air. 

Across the room, the air shivered, and small bursts of light began to appear, forming a larger shape. 

A shadow could be seen walking up to the figure of the fallen man, bending down, and then a quiet voice could be heard.


	15. Chapter 15

Ahhh!! Gomen gomen gomen for not updating for so long!!! Please forgive me! You know how much of a hassle school can be? -_-;; Well, thank you sooo much everybody who's stuck with me so far throughout everything! =D You don't know how much it means to me to get lots of positive reviews!! I thought I'd take a little time to name all the people who've been pushing me to write more:

Meg-chan, DJTifa, Uftaki, KawaiiLilChichiri, Xaxres, Lady Genrou, GenrousGirl85, chikki, MoonKnight Maiden, lady moonlight, Ad, B-chan, Lola, Mysia Ri, chichiriboshi, Lady Pyrrha, Xellas M, Kaji Flamer, TasukiNoBaka, Ju-chan, ferret chan, and Kye.

I owe all of you my eternal gratitude and thanks!! ^_____^ 

Anyway, let's get on with chapter 15!!

~SakuraBlossom

P.S. oh yeah, even though I haven't been writing it, the usual disclaimer still applies (duh! Though I wish it were true, I don't own Fushigi Yuugi)

****

Running Away

Chapter 15

He was running. That was all he could tell. Endlessly, running. He was in a hurry, for what reason, he didn't know. All he knew was that his feet were urging him onward, not letting him stop.

A sudden sense of fear, of pain jolted through him, and he brought his hands up to his head, a slight cry escaping his lips.

The air around him seemed to waver, and soon it changed color, forming a brilliant wave of green and blue. He looked around, his eyes searching for a way out of this prison, but he couldn't see anything except for the never-ending waves of color.

"Chichiri!" He didn't know why he yelled that name, didn't know why he suddenly thought of him. 

__

Something's happened, something's happened! Millions of thoughts raced through his head, another jolt of pain racked through his body.

He lowered himself to his knees, feeling the ground underneath his fingers but not seeing it. He watched as the colors darkened, turning into a deep purple.

He slashed at the colors with his arms, willing them to dissapate, to let him free. They seemed to close in around him, choking him, wrapping themselves around his body.

He watched in fear as a figure seemed to form out of the colors. A man. A stranger, he didn't know him, but he was somehow oddly familiar.

The man charged at him, grabbing him by his shoulders. He struggled, trying to push the man away, but it seemed like it took all of his energy to barely turn his head.

He gasped as he felt more arms come in contact with him, more men from behind, from the sides. They were surrounding him.

"No! Let me go! I'm not gonna' go through this again!!" He screamed out, kicking the men, slashing at them.

The man in front of him stepped back, and Tasuki watched as he seemed to melt away into the swirling colors. The other men began to shrink away as well, and suddenly, the colors disappeared.

He was in a forest, he didn't know which one, only that it was dark out, night. He stood up straight, trying to get his head together and focus on his surroundings.

"Hello?" There wasn't an answer, but that didn't mean that nobody was there. 

He took an awkward step forward, but then brought his foot back, unsure. He wished this would end, wished this endless torture would end.

He felt something spark in his head. It was like a firecracker had gone off, an explosion. He cried out as he felt something even worse settle in.

He felt somewhere, a ways off, someone's chi slowly fall, and then disappear completely. It was gone, wiped away. The same feeling came back to him as when Nuriko, Chiriko, Hotohori, and Mitsukake had all died. That same feeling of loneliness, as if something that was supposed to be there was gone.

"No! Chichiri, you can't!" He knew who it was, who else could it be? He ran forward, not knowing if he was even going the right way or not, only knowing that he had to do something. 

All of a sudden, his surroundings disappeared, melting away into the bright swirling colors once again. He turned around, trying to get away, but already there was no sign of the forest he had just been in.

"No, Chichiri! I have to… let me back! Chichiri!!" He reached out his hand, trying to find a way back in.

"Genrou, wake up!!"

His eyes opened with a snap, light flooding into his head. He groaned, bringing his hand up to his face. 

"…What…?"

"You've been dreaming, Genrou… you were… shouting or something…"

He looked up to the person that was talking to him, watching as the fuzzy outline soon became an actual person.

"Seripa?"

Seripa looked down at him, a worried look on his face. "You… you've been sleeping for two days straight now… just this morning you started… started, saying… things… I tried to get you up…"

Tasuki struggled to sit up in his bed, but was overcome by dizziness, feeling naseous. He tried to remember… tried to think what it was that he had seen…

"Chichiri! Something's… happened to him…"

Seripa looked at him, a confused look on his face. "Who's Chichiri?"

"He's…" Tasuki closed his eyes tightly, his head aching. "one of the Suzaku seven… and… a friend…" He felt tears start to come to his eyes as he said this, knowing that it was a lie.

"How would you know, I mean, he's not here, is he?" Seripa tilted his head to the side. 

"I don't know…. I just felt it… in my dream… he…" Tasuki turned over, leaning his head into his pillow.

"You're in terrible condition, you know?" Seripa walked over, gently resting the palm of his hand on Tasuki's forehead. "You're burnin' up."

Tasuki shivered slightly, as if a sudden chill had gone through the room. He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to keep in the heat.

"You've got a terrible fever… no wonder you were asleep so long." Seripa got up off the bed and walked over to the table, where a bunch of blankets had been sitting all neatly folded. He picked up one of the blankets and then thrust it out, unfolding it. He gently draped it over Tasuki, trying to make sure that he stayed warm.

Tasuki sat up adruptly. "I've… gotta' find Chichiri."

"What are you talking about? You shouldn't even get out of bed!" Seripa walked over to him.

"You don't understand. Something's happened, I can feel it… I…" He whipped back the covers and got up on his feet, feeling another wave of nausea rack through him. He staggered, but slowly started to walk towards the door.

Seripa rushed forward, pushing him back towards the bed. "Get back in bed! You can't go out like this! You'll only get worse!" 

Tasuki pushed past the younger boy, staggering towards the door. "If I don't go… something… he'll be… I can't, I have to go… have to find him…"

Seripa followed Tasuki out the door, trying to pull him back into the room, but Tasuki just kept going, determined not to give up. He couldn't. He could still feel that dull emptiness from his dream, could feel that sudden disappearance of his chi.

"Genrou, listen to me! You can't do this!!" Seripa rushed up from behind him, trying to get in his way. 

"I can… do this… I have to…" Tasuki felt the dull ache in his head worsen, and his stomach felt like it was doing flip-flops. 

He stopped, bringing his hands to his stomach. "I… have to… save… him…" His knees gave out and he collapsed to the ground, his breathing heavy.

"Genrou!!" Seripa rushed forward, kneeling in front of him. He again put his hand to his forehead, but quickly jerked it back when he felt how hot it was. "I've gotta' get somebody!"

He quickly got up, then ran off to the mess hall to see if Kouji was there.

****

Kouji paced restlessly back and forth, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. Every once in a while he would look back to the bed where Tasuki lay helplessly. 

He walked up to the bed, leaning over it. He brought his hand up and gently pushed back the hair that had fallen in Tasuki's eyes. He still couldn't believe how beautiful he was.

He sighed, though, knowing that Tasuki didn't love him, would never love him… if only. He wished there was some way he could change it, could make him forget about that other guy… what was his name? Chichiri?

No… he shouldn't think like that. Then Tasuki wouldn't be happy, and his happiness meant more to Kouji than anything.

It had been three days now since Seripa had come rushing in, telling them Tasuki was lying, collapsed, on the ground. Three days now that Tasuki had lied there, tossing and turning, trapped in the hellish nightmare of the fever.

He clenched his fist, hating himself because he couldn't do anything about it. Couldn't stop this _thing_ from hurting Tasuki, from hurting the one he loved.

He jumped up when he heard a moan coming from the bed. He rushed over, leaning over the other man.

"Genrou? Are you… are you awake?"

He watched as Tasuki's eyes fluttered open, as Tasuki turned his head to look at him.

"…Kouji?" 

He nodded his head, smiling. "Yeah, it's me. Man, Genrou, you're sick as hell."

Tasuki smiled, looking up into Kouji's face. "I don't… feel so good…" He brought his hand up to his face, yawning into it. 

Kouji's eyes suddenly turned downcast, remembering what had happened only a few days ago. He had to apologize, now, before they went any further. He had to tell Tasuki that everything was still okay… that nothing was different between them. He didn't know what he'd do if Tasuki started avoiding him or something.

"Genrou… I've got… something to apologize for…"

Tasuki just kind of looked at Kouji, still not completely awake. He yawned again, stretching his arms above his head. "What is it… Kouji?"

"It's about… that night, you know. I… don't know what I was doin'… really, I mean it. I was probably just drunk or something…" He closed his eyes as he said this. "Are you… can we… still be friends?"

Tasuki looked confusingly at Kouji, not quite sure what he was talking about. "What do you mean, Kouji? I don't… know what you're talking about…"

Kouji jerked his head up, looking into Tasuki's eyes. "You know, _that_ night, it was a few nights ago… I ki-…" he didn't want to say it, didn't want to if he didn't have to.

Tasuki just gave him the same confused look. He scratched his head. "… I don't remember anything like that…"

Kouji moved closer to Tasuki, trying to figure out what was wrong. "Where you said… you said about that Chichiri guy… you said that you… and him…"

Now Tasuki was even more confused. He shook his head in frustration, and then looked back up at Kouji. "Who's Chichiri?"


	16. Chapter 16

****

Running Away

Chapter 16

He didn't know where he was, or what had happened. He groggily opened his eye, scanning his surroundings. White… that was all he could see. White.

He blinked a couple of times, trying to make sense of everything. He raised his head slightly so that he could get a better look.

He was in a bed, that he could tell. It was soft… so soft, and it felt wonderful. The white sheets were draped across it, and there was somewhat of a canopy above him, making the light from above a soft pink color.

He sat up, groaning a bit. He could tell that he'd been lying there for a while. He stretched his arms above his head, trying to get the cinks out. 

He noticed what he was wearing, and he recognized it, somehow… The soft shirt and pants were about ten sizes too big for him, but it felt comforting. A memory flashed through his mind: him seven years ago, running around wearing his monk clothes that were so big they were practically falling off of him.

He smiled. Taiitsukun. That was when he had first come to Taiitsukun's palace, when he had first started his training here as a monk. 

He sighed, knowing that he was in a safe place, knowing that he wouldn't have to worry here.

But wait… why was he here again? Why was he lying here?

He reached out his arm to pull back the sheets and as he did so, the sleeve of his shirt was pushed up a bit, and his attention was drawn immediately to his wrist, to the long, pale, scar that ran across it.

And then, it all came rushing back.

He closed his eye tightly as the memories filled his head, as he relived everything that had just happened. He gripped his wrist almost as if he wanted to pull the scar off.

"Tasuki…"

A single tear slid down his cheek. Tasuki was why he was here. Tasuki was why he had that scar on his wrist. Tasuki was… oh God he wished that Tasuki was here right now. Wished that he could feel those arms around him, comforting him…

"I see that you're finally up."

He looked up, startled, at this new voice. His eye settled upon the old woman that stood before him, next to the bed.

"T-Taiitsukun!" He quickly wiped the tear off his face, trying to hide his emotions. "I…"

"You don't have to explain anything." Taiitsukun crossed her arms in front of her, looking at her pupil. "However, that's certainly something I wouldn't have thought you to do."

Chichiri looked down at his hands, which he had placed in his lap, ashamed. He didn't know what to say. Didn't know what to say to the teacher that had helped him through everything, and who had told him all too many times that suicide wasn't the right way to go.

That had been… after that night… when he had lost his best friend. Did he feel the same way right now that he had felt back then? Did he have the same feelings?

"D… did you find me?" Chichiri timidly looked up, looking his teacher in the face.

"Actually, no. He found you." Taiitsukun looked towards the door at the new person who had just entered.

Chichiri quickly turned his head, startled again that another person had entered so quietly. "T-Taikasei!"

The young boy entered the room, smiling at his friend. He walked up to the bed, resting his hands on one of the poles of the canopy.

"Hi… Chichiri. Long time no see."

"When he found you, he brought you up here, because of the rumor of the… magical girls who could heal anything." Taiitsukun coughed into her hand. "Of course, bringing you here was probably the best thing he could have done."

Taikasei smiled at both of them, his hands running across the smooth wood of the pole.

"All I can say is… you're lucky, Chichiri… I just can't believe that after before, that after all that training, you would have something happen to drive you to this again."

Chichiri once again lowered his head, his thoughts returning to Tasuki and the bandit compound. 

Taikasei looked worridly at the older man, wondering what had happened, wondering what could have made Chichiri do this. Everything had sounded like… like it would go alright. What could possibly have been so terrible?  


Taiitsukun looked around the room, shaking her head. "I'm going to go back to my room. I'm sure that Taikasei might have a few things to say to you, Chichiri. And I'd think… just think about it… Chichiri."

Taiitsukun slowly turned around, then headed off in the direction of the door, her footsteps faintly echoing in the room. Both Chichiri and Taikasei watched as her form disappeared from sight.

Chichiri sat back, a little uncomfortably, in the bed, her words running through his head.

Taikasei turned towards the monk, a rather blank look on his face. "When I saw you… when I watched you…" he lowered his head. "I couldn't believe it."

Chichiri turned his head up towards the younger boy, watching him.

A small tear ran down Taikasei's face. "I… I was like… 'no, that can't… be Chichiri, it can't be, Chichiri would never do something like that.' It… it couldn't have been you…"

Taikasei sat down on the edge of the bed, his hands clasped tightly together in his lap. He watched them, as if he had never seen them before in his life.

"You… you were the happy one, you were the one who seemed so full of life… Why? Why did you do it?" Taikasei turned to face Chichiri.

Chichiri looked down, not looking into the younger boy's eyes. He didn't know what to say, didn't know how to put it.

"What could have happened? What could have driven you… to… to _this?_" Taikasei took Chichiri's hand in his, the scar facing up. 

Chichiri looked at it, looked at the line where his skin had been sealed back together, where the cold knife had slid cleanly through.

"I… I don't know… it all… happened so fast…" Chichiri felt tears start to slide down his face, his shoulders starting to shudder. "One thing led to the other… and then… and then…"

Taikasei held his hand tightly, trying to comfort him. 

"He kissed him… he kissed him, right there… I saw it, saw it all. They were… they were…"

"Who?"

"Tasuki… h-he kissed him… it's not… it's not fair!"

Taikasei slid over until he sat next to Chichiri, then brought his hand around his shoulder. Chichiri leaned into him, gripping his shirt, tears soaking it.

"It's okay… it's okay."

"He… he doesn't love me, never will… he loves, he loves _him_… he doesn't even know how I _feel…_" 

Taikasei gently rocked him back and forth, and soon, his cries stopped. All that could be heard was an occasional hiccough, followed by a sniff.

Taikasei looked down at the older man, noting that he had fallen asleep. He gently layed him down, his head resting on the pillow. Then he got up and pulled the covers up, wrapping them tightly around Chichiri.

He smiled, a soft smile, and then quietly walked out of the room.

****

"You're sure you want to go?" Taiitsukun stood there outside her palace, watching as her pupil prepared his things.

"I have to, no da, it's… my life. I can't really live any way else now." He looked up at his teacher. "Besides, it'll give me some time to think off on my own, no da."

Taiitsukun sighed. She didn't really want him to leave, not so soon after what had happened. There was still… there was still some risk, and she didn't want to lose him.

But it was true that Chichiri was meant for traveling. He never could stay in one place too long, even her palace.

"Don't go!!!" A small group of blue-haired girls ran out of the palace, almost seeming to blend in with each other. They ran up to Chichiri, holding on to his legs.

Chichiri smiled at them, bending down so he could talk to them easier. "I won't be gone too long, and I promise to come back, no da. I just… I like the open road better. Nothing against you, of course, no da."

One of the girls stood in front of him. "But Chichiri-sama! It's no fun with only our ugly master here!" 

There was a loud cough from over where Taiitsukun was standing, and Chichiri could sense his master's annoyance.

He set his hand gently down on the girl's head. "But that makes it all the more fun when I come back, no da."

He smiled, and then stood up, the Nyan-Nyans backing away to give him some room. He picked up his small sack that held a few of his items in it, and then slung it over his back. He placed his familiar kasa back on his head, pulling the string under his chin.

Finally, he picked up his staff, holding it firmly in his hand. When he was ready, he turned back around to Taiitsukun.

"I'll be going now, no da." He gave a low bow to her, then stood straight up, looking over at her.

"I wish you the best of luck, Chichiri of Suzaku… and please, take care of yourself."

"Don't worry. I will, no da." He turned away, beginning to walk. He felt the familiar footsteps of the open road on his feet, and it felt comforting.

After he had gone a few steps, he turned back. He raised his hand up, and waved. He watched as the group of Nyan-Nyans happily waved back, as they jumped excitedly in the air.

And then he turned back, facing the path that he was about to set out on, and began to walk.

~The End~

Just kidding! Nya nya nya!! ^_^ This is definitely not the end! For one, I would never stop here. I just… _couldn't!_ Not before Tasuki and Chichiri have even gotten together!! And for another, you would probably all kill me!! ^o^ Anyway… I guess this _is_ really the end of this section. Starting next chapter, we're into OVA 3 territory! So… I guess the next chapter is where the spoilers start, so you're warned. You know, it's kinda' weird. I didn't think this fic would be nearly this long! I figured that this part that I've written so far would be like what, eight chapters? But no, it's 16! And a lot of words to go with that! Weird… well. Thanks again for stickin' with me through this whole thing! And let's just hope that I can get the next chapter posted real soon (hoping of course that I will not have much homework the next few nights)! Yay! v^_^

~SakuraBlossom


	17. Chapter 17

Wheee!! Finally got the next chapter written!! Yay! OVA 3!!! I can't wait until OVA 3 comes out in the US. Hehe. But then again, I absolutely loathe Mayo… =( There had better be some cute Tas/Chi scenes in it or else…!!!!!! But then again, if there isn't… *wah* … that's basically why I'm writing this. Kinda'. So… if you already know what happens in OVA 3 and… let's just say that there's some stuff that isn't exactly right to the show here, kay? This is supposed to be different. (but then again, I probably only wrote that because I don't know exactly everything in OVA 3 and then I'll be able to say "it's supposed to be different" if something's not right! -_-;;) Anyway, I'd better stop rambling and continue on with the story! Note: this chapter starts 9 years after the last one (I know, it's ten years, but time had to pass between the end of OVA 2 and when my fic started!). Oh yeah, and I don't know if Taka was really in a dust storm before Chichiri came, but it sounded cool, so I changed it. Hehe. v^_^

~SakuraBlossom

Oh yeah… it's been a while, but I don't (though I wish I did) own Fushigi Yuugi… wah!

****

Running Away

Chapter 17

Chichiri walked along the dirt path, his feet making small scuffing noises as they came in contact with small stones that lay strewed across it.

He bent down, observing a small plant that was growing ostentatiously in the middle of the path. He cupped his hands around it, trying to make out what kind of plant it was. 

He'd felt uneasy all day for some reason. He didn't know why, couldn't make out why there was a feeling of anxiousness fluttering through him. It was as if… something was about to happen, and soon he'd be caught up in the middle of it.

He stood back up, stretching his arms above his head. It was at times like this that his thoughts always began to drift away… drift to his past, drift to his friends. Drift to Tasuki.

He knew that it was kind of crazy to still be thinking of the bandit after nine years of not even seeing him, but he couldn't help it. There was something about him that just stuck in his mind, that held on to his heart.

Even after everything that had happened, after the time that had past, he still knew that he loved him, loved him with all his heart. He didn't think he'd ever be able to love anyone else, _anyone._

But he knew that Tasuki didn't love him. Which was the reason why he hadn't even _tried_ to go back to the bandit compound after that day, that night when he'd found out the truth. Tasuki stayed only in his memories.

"And that's where he should be…" Chichiri whispered to himself. His heart ached as he said it, but he knew it was the truth. He knew that going back, that doing anything to see him again, would only result in more heart-break.

He sighed, and then resumed his walking, his head hanging down. His feet scraped across the worn, beaten path.

A sudden flash jumped through his head. It was like a sudden feeling of pain, of panic, that ripped through his mind. 

His head jerked up, feeling out for what had made the cry. He stayed absolutely quiet, barely even breathing.

__

Chichiri!!! He stepped back a pace, startled at hearing his own name. He kept listening, listening for more.

__

Chichiri! H-hel… he… lp!

And then he felt it, felt his aura. It was Tamahome, it had to be. Well, it was Taka now… but that wasn't important. The only thing that was important was that somehow, somewhere, Taka was calling to him.

He tried to feel out, feel out to where the call was coming from, where the aura felt the strongest. 

He looked up, determined, and then brought his hand up in front of his mouth, uttering a soft chant. And then he was gone.

****

He couldn't see anything. There was nothing _to_ see. Everything was enveloped in a blurring wind of sand. It rushed at him, scraping his body, flying into his eyes.

He called for him again and again, knowing that he _must _hear him. He had to… just had to.

He brought his hand up in front of his face, trying to shield himself from the ever-raining blows of sand. It stung as it hit his bare skin, sending up tiny pricks of pain along his arms and neck.

"Chi-!!" He opened his mouth and only received another deluge of sand. He coughed, trying to spit the sand out of his mouth, trying to get rid of its vile taste.

He felt another presence close to him, and looked up sharply. He could make out a figure through the sand, a shadow against the beating waterfalls of sand.

He felt another hand slip into his own, and then the sand stopped. Either that or they had teleported. He couldn't be sure, as he was too out of it to tell.

He opened his eyes, grateful now that he could open them without feeling sand rush painfully into them.

"Chichiri!" He smiled, looking across at his fellow seishi. Glad that now at least _something_ had gone right.

"Taka, no da! Daijobu ka, na no da?" Chichiri looked worridly into the other man's face.

Taka coughed, his lungs and throat still coated with sand and dust. He gave a confident smile to Chichiri. "Of course I'm alright, a little sand storm couldn't hurt me."

"What's going on? Why are you back here, no da?"

At this question, Taka grew serious. "It's… I don't even know the whole story. You see, something's happened…"

Chichiri nodded, listening to Taka.

"There's this girl… her name's Mayo. She… I… I think she's fallen in love with me."

Chichiri tilted his head to the side. "And… that's problem because? There's nothing wrong with liking someone else, no da."

Taka smiled a bit, continuing his story. "Well, she found "The Universe of the Four Gods" and… well, she went in to the book. Now everyone thinks she's the Suzaku no miko."

Chichiri's face turned surprised. "But… that's impossible. She can't be the Suzaku no miko… where's Miaka, no da?"

"That's one of the problems. Miaka… she was going to have a baby. It was hers and mine, but when she went to the doctor's… it was like, she was never _going_ to have a baby, it was just gone!

"And then she collapsed, and she won't wake up! I… I came here to find Mayo, because Keisuke knew she had one in here. When I found her, she, she said I was her husband, she, she even had my wedding ring. And she… she had the baby."

If Chichiri hadn't had his mask on, then Taka would have seen his eye grow _very_ big indeed. "She had your baby, no da?"

"Yes, she's… pregnant with Miaka's baby. And, now everyone thinks that she and I are married."

Chichiri sat there a while, taking in this story. Finally, he said something. "We should ask Taiitsukun, no da. She'd know what was going on, and if Mayo is really the new Suzaku no miko, no da."

Taka nodded, and then stood up, ready to go.

"But first, there's someone else who would probably want to go too, no da." Chichiri held up his staff, and soon both of them were gone off the path.

****

They landed a bit unexpertisely in a grove of trees a bit of ways away. Taka groggily got up from off the ground, brushing off the seat of his pants.

"Oh… my powers aren't what they used to be, no da?" Chichiri sat up beside him.

"Are you sure this is the right place, Chichiri?" Taka looked around at their surroundings.

Suddenly, there was a large swish, and both of them were soon caught up in a tangle of nets, not being able to move.

"Knock knock, excuse me. Who is it? I am the leader of the mountain. Oh how wonderful, please come in. Thank you." They could hear the voice from nearby.

A figure walked up to them, his arms across his chest. "Well, it's been a while since anyone came 'round here." The man picked up the net that the two of them were in. "Alright then, I'll just take everything you've got."

The man looked closely at his two captives, and suddenly tilted his head, a confused look on his face.

"Are… are you Kouji?" Taka asked.

Kouji looked closer at them. "…huh? A… aren't you, Tamahome? And… uh…" He looked over at Chichiri, his eyes widening.

He quickly dropped the net, letting the two seishi fall to the ground in a heap. He then untied it, apologizing at the same time.

Taka looked around. "Was Mt. Reikaku always this small?"

Kouji followed Taka's gaze. "No… half the mountain disappeared."

A frown crossed Taka's face. "Oh… but wait a minute. You said you were…?"

Kouji started mumbling. "Huh? Oh… that… well, I…"

There was a shout from up above in the trees. "What the hell you talkin' about? I'm the leader here!!"

There was a thud from near them, and suddenly, a figure grabbed Kouji by the collar, lifting him up.

"You start sayin' crap like that and I'll fire ya'!!!"

"Well, you should talk. You're the one that started snoozin' in that tree up there!!" Kouji shot back.

"Well what are you doin' havin' a nice chat with our prey? Why haven't you taken their stuff yet? You idiot! You know how long it's been since anybody's been here..!"

Chichiri was in a daze, staring at the new man that had entered the clearing. He couldn't take his eye off him, couldn't tear his gaze away.

He was so beautiful. If he had thought that Tasuki was beautiful beforehand, then it couldn't even have compared to what he was seeing now. He couldn't even describe it in words.

"T… Tasuki…."

The firey-haired man turned to face this new voice. "Tasuki…? Who's Tasuki?"

Kouji faced Tasuki, first in confusion, but then in sudden realization. He remembered, the moment he had tried his hardest to forget. 

He konked Tasuki hard on the back of his head. "You dolt! _You're _Tasuki!!" He prayed that nothing would happen, that Tasuki wouldn't be able to remember them.

Tasuki looked hard at the two seishi. "Um… oh _yeah!!!_ I remember now! You're…" he pointed at Taka. "T… Taka… right?"

Taka nodded, glad that the bandit could remember him.

Tasuki turned to Chichiri, and Kouji sucked in his breath.

"And… you're… um… Ch-… Chichiri, right?"

Chichiri felt like his heart was breaking into little tiny pieces. How could he have completely forgetten him like that? How could he have totally washed away everything that they'd been through? How could he… how could he _do_ that?

He tried to keep the tears from coming to his eyes, which was made easier by the fact that he was wearing his mask. _Tasuki, how could you do this to me?!_

Off to the side, Kouji was feeling a bit of relief, as Tasuki didn't seem to remember much about the monk except his name. But… but the more they were together, the more that could go wrong, and he didn't want to throw away everything that he had built with him and the firey-haired bandit.


	18. Chapter 18

****

Running Away

Chapter 18

Chichiri cringed beneath his mask, and it was at times like this when he was glad he had the mask, because it would be impossible to contain his utter dislike for the girl that sat before him right now.

It was horrible, the way she treated them and all. She had made him take off his mask right away, and of couse he had done it. And then, she _tried_ to get Tasuki to talk just so that she could hear the way he talked.

It was as if they were her little play things that she could manipulate any time she liked.

He sighed gratefully as he stepped out of the room, following one of the castle servants. He was glad to be out of there, glad to be away from _her._

"Geez, what's that girl's problem? Ya' think she'd own the place the way she acted!" Tasuki turned around, obviously as perturbed as Chichiri was. "Do we really gotta' do what she says?"

"Remember what Taiitsukun said, no da. She can't be the Suzaku no miko…" Chichiri said, almost as much to himself as to Tasuki. He tried to remember if Miaka had ever acted like that, but he couldn't remember a time when she had. Miaka would never do a thing like that.

"Here is your room, Chichiri-sama." He jumped up, startled, at the sound of the servant's voice, and he turned to face the door she was pointing to.

He was rather disappointed, seeing that he and Tasuki would get separate rooms, but he shook the thought aside, knowing that Tasuki really didn't even know him anymore, let alone have feelings for him.

He sighed, watching as the servant led Tasuki to his room, which _was_ conveniently located right next door, but still, it wasn't the same…

__

What happened to you, Tasuki?

The question kept running through his mind over and over again. What could possibly have happened to do this? How could he completely forget him like this? 

Over the past nine years, his longings for the firey-haired bandit had begun to die out, at least a little, but now they were starting up anew. How was he going to be able to hold it in much longer?

__

You're a monk, you're not supposed to get involved like this anyway. You should just… you should just forget it. It seems like Tasuki already has_, so you might as well let it go as well…_

It didn't work. All the thoughts that he kept telling himself, all the things that he tried to convince himself just didn't have any effect.

He suddenly realized that he was just standing there in the middle of the hall, watching the servant showing Tasuki his room, well, at least he _did_. But that was a couple of minutes ago, and now Tasuki was just giving him a strange look.

"Um… Chichiri? You okay?" He waved his hand out to try to snap the monk out of whatever la-la land he had entered.

Chichiri jumped back, a bit startled, suddenly realizing that he had been staring. "Oh, yeah... I'm just a little tired, no da." He could feel his face flush, but because of his mask it didn't show.

__

Thank Suzaku for little favors.

"I'm just going to go into my room now, no da. Hehe…" He slowly inched his way towards the door and then stepped into his room. Back in the hall, Tasuki just shrugged his shoulders and went into his room.

Chichiri sat down on his bed, his hands held tightly in his lap. He just sat there, millions of thoughts running through his head. Millions of questions that couldn't be answered… at least not by him.

He groggily stood up, suddenly realizing how tired he really was. He walked over to a small chair that was located in the corner of the room and slipped off his boots, setting them down under the chair. Then he reached up and pulled his kesa over his head, folding it neatly down on the chair. He also took off his mask, knowing that he wouldn't need it in the privacy of his own room. His kasa was the last thing that he set down, place carefully on top of his kesa.

He stretched his arms above his head and walked back over to his bed, where he slowly pulled back the covers. He sat down on the bed, and then brought the covers up, holding them up next to his chin.

Finally, he reached over and switched off the light that sat on his bedside table, blanketing the room in darkness.

Lying there in the dark made him feel even more lonely than he had felt before, somehow, but he welcomed the sleep that it would bring. 

He reached out his hands, longing to feel that other presence in between them, to feel the warmth of another body. But not just anyone… it had to be _him._ He was the only one who he could love… the only one that would ever had a permanent place in his heart.

He dejectedly lowered his arms, bring them to lay on his bed. He absentmindedly ran his finger over the ever-present scar that still ran across his wrist. It was a bit of a habit now. Whenever he had something on his mind, he found himself slowly tracing the pale mark.

It brought back so many memories… ones that he wished he could forget, but that also he longed to keep. He never wanted to remember the day that Tasuki had left him, never wanted to see the face of grief that had swept across the bandit, but yet, it was also a memory that showed the Tasuki that _he _knew. Not this new one that could barely remember who he was…

He shivered, a chill running down his spine. He willed sleep to come to him. He wanted to let himself be taken away to a place where he could see things as he wanted to see them.

He slowly closed his eyes, replacing the darkness of the room with the deeper darkness that would soon lead him to sleep. 

Outside the palace, the reflection of the moon in the lake was being slowly rippled by the soft breeze that swept through the town. 

****

__

He didn't know where he was. The clearing he was in gave him a faint feeling of recognition, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Trees surrounded him, closing him in. The air felt stuffy and moist.

He looked from side to side, trying to find a way out of this natural dungeon, but every way looked the same, none of them really pointing him in a certain direction.

He felt a sudden presence behind him, and he quickly jerked around to face this new figure.

"There you are."

He opened his eyes in surprise, startled to see Tasuki staring back at him. "Tasuki, no da! What are you doing here?"

"I've been lookin' for ya'." He looked around. "Shoulda' known you'd be here."

"W… what do you mean, no da?"

Tasuki reached behind his back, slowly pulling out the tessen that he always kept there. He held it up in front of him, pointing it at Chichiri.

"Tasuki??" Chichiri took a step back, scared at Tasuki's actions. Had he done something wrong?

"Why did you do this to me, Chichiri? You have no idea what you did!"

Chichiri stared back, confusion etched across his features. "W… what did I do?"

"You left me! You fuckin' left me! You don't even know what really happened, do ya'? You don't what the hell happened 'cause you were too worried 'bout your own damn self!"

Chichiri didn't know what to say. Suddenly very angered, he took a step towards Tasuki. "What did you want me to do? You're the one that never told me you had someone else back at the mountain!"

Tasuki smirked, crossing his arms across his chest. "Who cares? So what if I had someone else? It's not like you really meant anything to me. I just needed something to keep me entertained on the road."

Chichiri felt all the air rush out of him. Sure, that's what had been running through his head ever since he had seen Tasuki and Kouji that night at the bandit compound, but he had never really believed himself. Had never wanted_ to believe himself._

"T… Tasuki…?"

"Yeah, go cry. You should be glad that I'm not beatin' the shit outta' ya' right now. It's a lot better than ya' deserve ya' filthy bastard."

Chichiri slowly sat down on the ground, his knees seeming to just give out from underneath him. He brought his hands to his face, feeling the hot tears rushing down his cheeks.

No, no, no, no, no… this can't be happening… can't be happening… can't be happening…

"No!" he jerked upright in bed, breathing heavily. Sweat was dripping off his forehead; his arms were shaking as he held himself up.

He tried to catch his breath, and he leaned forward, resting his hands on his legs. He tried to get rid of those words… tried to get rid of that voice that was still running through his head.

"No… T… Tasuki…" he couldn't wipe it out, couldn't erase it from his memory. In his mind he kept seeing Tasuki standing there, that smirk on his face as he happily told Chichiri that he had been "entertainment for the road".

He felt hot tears begin to fall down his face, begin to soak his shirt and the blanket that he had tightly around his hands. He squeezed his eye shut, which only poured our more tears. 

He choked out a sob, his shoulders moving up and down as his dream replayed again and again in his mind. He brought the blanket up, burying his face in it.

He heard the door open very faintly, and he immediately looked up. He looked through the blurriness of his tears, trying to make out the figure near the door.

"Chichiri?"

He knew that voice anywhere. It was one of the only things that hadn't changed over the past nine years, the only thing that he could still think really recognize out of the old Tasuki.

"Go away!" He turned away from the light that came in through the door, not wanting anyone to come in, especially not him.

"Chichiri… are you alright? What's wrong?" 

He could hear footsteps and he knew that Tasuki had walked in, but he stayed where he was, tears still falling from his eye. He gave a loud sniff, trying to emphasize the fact that he didn't want anyone there right then.

He felt the bed next to him go down a little bit, and he knew that Tasuki had sat down on the bed. For a little while, the only sound in the room was Chichiri's occasional sniff. Nobody moved or said anything.

Finally, Tasuki broke the silence. "Chichiri… what's wrong? Why are you cryin'?" 

Chichiri felt Tasuki touch his shoulder, trying to comfort him. He jerked away from the touch, not wanting it or its false sense of security. 

"I said go away."

Tasuki pulled his hand away but didn't move from where he was. He just had to get him to talk, to tell him what was wrong. There had to be some reason… why would someone suddenly just break down like this?

"Chichiri, come on, why won't you talk to me?" He leaned toward the other again, but didn't touch him.

Something inside Chichiri snapped. He spun around, sending his arm out, and brought it sharply into the side of Tasuki's face. Tasuki leaned back in pain, holding the side of his face.

Chichiri suddenly stopped as he realized what he had just done. He didn't move, his arm still lying across the bed. "T… Tasuki… I didn't, I mean…"

Tasuki could feel the pain in the side of his cheek send little electro currents of pain to his brain where they registered sharply. He held it, willing the pain to go away. It was then that he noticed what was happening.

Memories, memories of all kind were rushing back into his head. He couldn't explain it, didn't know where all those memories were coming from. It was like he was watching them all in fast-forward as they ran through his head.

And there were some in there that he definitely did not want to see again.

He saw all the seishi, standing there, smiling, when everything was happy. He closed his eyes tightly as he was then forced to watch each one of them die all over again. Well, at least what view he had of it. The worst part was the remembrance of the horrible ache and shock that had run through him when they had died.

Then the memories began to get more recent than that. He watched as he and Chichiri left the inn, everything was fine, at least it looked like it. Then he watched himself turn around, heard those awful words that came out of his own mouth, held back the tears as he ran away.

He saw himself at the bandit compound. Saw Kouji and all the guys welcoming him back. He remembered when Seripa had come charging into the room claiming that the certain Seripa that he was playing cards with at the time wasn't the real Seripa. He remembered looking back in surprise as the fake Seripa had just disappeared.

And then he remembered _that_ night. So clearly, it was like he was watching it through a telescope. He watched as Kouji slowly leaned forward, placing his lips on his own. 

He sat up, not even aware of the pain that was in the side of his cheek anymore. "Chichiri, I… I… I'm so sorry!"

Chichiri stared back in surprise, not quite wondering what the other man was talking about. The last of his tears slowy streaked across his face.

"How could I leave you like that? How could I do that to you?" Tasuki bent his head down, ashamed of himself.

At first the words didn't register in Chichiri's mind. But then it all came to him. "You… you remember? You remember me?"

Tasuki turned up to face Chichiri, grief etched across his face, and at first it reminded Chichiri of the time when they last had parted ways, but he tried to push that thought away.

Tasuki took Chichiri's hand in his, holding it tightly. "How could I do that to you…?"

It was then, running his hand across the other man's wrist, that he discovered the scar. He looked at it, holding it up to the light so he could see better.

"Chichiri… what's this? Don't tell me…"

Tasuki's eyes bored into Chichiri's, and he quickly looked down, not wanting to face him. "I-it's nothing, really, it's nothing." He stated hurriedly.

Tasuki ran his fingers across the jagged mark, holding Chichiri's hand tenderly in his own. "You… you did this because of me, didn't you? You tried to kill yourself all because of me!!"

Now Tasuki began to cry as well, as he realized just how much pain he had put the monk through. How could he have been that heartless? Why didn't he realize then that both of them needed each other?

"I'm so sorry, so sorry…" He leaned forward, taking Chichiri into his arms, all the while repeating those words over and over again. Tears fell from his face and onto Chichiri's shirt, soaking it.

Chichiri pushed his face deep into the fabric of Tasuki's shirt, feeling the warmth of his arms as he was held in the embrace. He could hear Tasuki's shuddered breathing close to his face, could smell that smell that Tasuki always seemed to possess.

They sat there like that a while, each one relishing in the feeling of warmth, the feeling of closeness, and the overall feeling that everything was right now. 

Tasuki sat back, looking deeply in Chichiri's face, studying every curve, every feature. He reached out his hands, gently framing the outline of his face, running his thumb against the scar over his eye.

"This… this might be a little late, but… God, Chichiri… you're so beautiful."

He ran his hands through Chichiri's hair, never breaking his gaze. He traced up across his chin until he held his face in both his hands, gently, barely touching. 

He slowly began to bring his head forward, in towards Chichiri's. Gently, he pulled Chichiri's face forward until they were barely inches apart. Tasuki could feel Chichiri's shaky breath as it intermingled with his own, could almost taste it.

He moved forwards the remaining distance, bringing their lips together, softly, lightly. He loved the feeling of his lips on Chichiri's, loved the way that he could taste his essence, becoming part of him.

He wrapped his arms around Chichiri's neck, kissing harder, letting his own lips part slightly. He slowly started to lower Chichiri back down onto the bed, his head resting deeply in the pillow.

He pushed his tongue into Chichiri's mouth, feeling around the inside, coming in contact with Chichiri's tongue. Everything that was Chichiri began to become part of him, and he wanted more. 

He pushed himself up so that he was balanced on his arms, leaning over Chichiri. He looked into his eye, watching the way it seemed to sparkle as their eyes met. 

He smiled, playfully. "No more running away." Then he bent back down, moving lower on Chichiri's body.


End file.
